Please Love Me
by BeautifulllDisaster09
Summary: Three year old Harry gets rescued by Sirius and is raised by him instead of the Dursleys. Child abuse on the Dursleys' part. HPGW in later chapters. HPSB BONDING! Child fic in beginning!
1. Accidents and New Faces

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter and if I did I wouldn't have killed Sirius Black, seeing as he was my favorite character

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter and if I did I wouldn't have killed Sirius Black, seeing as he was my favorite character. : )

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This little story just sort of came to me I guess. I'm currently writing another fan fiction where Harry's parents _and _godfather come back if you want to read it just visit my profile. It's called Harry Potter and the Much Needed Family. Tell me what you think!

But anyway this story came to me in my Government class (I know, weird right?). I was just sitting there and I thought, _'Hey! Wouldn't it be fun to write a cute little story about Sirius and a three year old Harry?'_ _**READ THIS!! IT IS IMPORTANT!! **__**So here's some background information**_: Harry lives with the Dursleys. The Dursleys are vile to him. Meanwhile, Remus happens upon Peter Pettigrew and gets Sirius cleared of all charges. Sirius gets a new house and gains custody of Harry in payment for two years in Azkaban on a false charge. And now begins our story.

PS: I don't normally have such a long Author's Note just to let you know! : ) ONWARD!

Chapter One: Accidents and New Faces

Harry Potter was a really extraordinary little boy. Since he had only just turned three years old, it would be safe to say he was special. The trouble was that little Harry had no idea that he was so special. Throughout his whole tiny existence, everyone he known had told him he was a worthless freak that no one would ever love. And at the age of three, what choice did he have other than to believe them?

The little boy in question was currently in a tiny cupboard under the stairs at Number 4 Privet Drive of Surrey. And at the moment he was sobbing silently. He wanted a mummy and daddy so bad it hurt. He wanted someone to tell him that they loved him. He wanted someone to pick him up and hold him like Aunt Petunia held Dudley. But then he remembered what a bad boy he was and how his aunt and uncle had said that he didn't deserved it for being ungrateful.

Harry wasn't quite sure what ungrateful meant, but it didn't sound good, and he wanted very badly to rid himself of it. The problem was that his aunt and uncle never told him _why_ he was ungrateful, so he didn't know how to get rid of the awful word.

Outside his cupboard, he heard the television blaring. Harry had to go potty. Tentatively, he knocked on his cupboard door. He heard his uncle stomping toward his "room" angrily.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL DO YOU WANT, BOY?" the man roared through the door.

"U-um… s-sir, m-may I-I u-use d-da b-baffroom, p-pwease?" Harry little voice sounded through the cupboard.

"And why would I let you do that?" his uncle sneered.

"U-um I don't know… s-sir… I-I dust hafta go," the little boy sniffled.

"Well you can hold it!" his uncle bellowed. "AND DON'T YOU DARE WET YOURSELF IF YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOOD FOR YOU!" His uncle stomped off back into the living room.

Harry lay back down on the floor of his cupboard and squeezed his little legs together, trying desperately not to wet himself. He knew what would happen if he did. His tiny bladder seemed like it was getting ready to explode under the pressure of holding it. He felt his body letting go, and he tried frantically to stop it, but it was too late. He could feel the warm liquid on the seat of his pants and running down his legs. He sobbed. He was in for it now.

HPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHPHP

Sirius Black was sitting quite impatiently in the office of Albus Dumbledore. He wanted to see his godson, Harry. He wanted to take the little boy into his arms and hold him close. He had come so close to losing the child that Sirius was determined to not let it happen again. But first he needed his godson, and to do that he had to visit the old coot that had sent him to live with his terrible relatives (mostly just because he hadn't a clue where the muggles lived).

"Ah! Sirius my boy!" Albus chirped. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"As you very well know, Albus, I was granted custody of Harry, and I need to know exactly where he is. And when I asked the Ministry, they said you were the man to see," Sirius replied. "So where is he?"

"Why, you know exactly where he is, my boy," said Dumbledore with an annoyingly innocent smile.

"I meant the exact address!" Sirius yelled, patience breaking.

"All right, all right," Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling. "Seems we're not in a joking mood today, eh?"

"I just want to get my godson and take him home," Sirius said trying to keep himself in control.

"All right, here is the address." Dumbledore handed him a small piece of paper.

Sirius looked down and read:

Number 4 Privet Drive

_Surrey_

"Thank you, Albus," Sirius said and he headed for the door.

Once off of the grounds, Sirius apparated to Privet Drive with a _pop_. He walked down the suburban street looking for number 4.

'_8… 7… 6… 5…Ah ha! 4!'_ He walked up the walkway and to the door. He was just about to knock when he heard shouting within the home.

"WHAT THE HELL DID I SAY, BOY?" a man's voice sounded.

"I'm s-sawy U-Uncle Vewrnon!" a little boy's voice cried back.

"SORRY'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH, YOU UNGRATEFUL FREAK!"

Sirius decided that now was the time to intervene, on account of he was sure that the little boy was Harry and Sirius was not too fond of Dursley calling his godson a freak. He blasted the door in. The sight he saw did not improve the mood he was in. Vernon Dursley had his tiny godson up against the wall by his throat and a belt poised high above his head, ready to strike, while Mrs. Dursley and Dudley watched from the kitchen doorway. Harry's eyes were as wide as dinner plates, and Sirius noticed the little boy had wet himself. Sirius vaguely wondered if that had happened because Harry was so scared of his uncle or if that is what had caused the scene. But Sirius decided that now was the time for action not words. Regardless of what Harry had done, his uncle had no right to handle him in that way.

"Put my godson down and step away from him, NOW!" Sirius's blue-gray eyes blazed with hate for the muggle before him. Dursley eyed the wand in Sirius's hand and obeyed reluctantly. Harry scrambled fearfully away from his uncle and into his cupboard. Sirius watched the boy and his felt his heart break. The little boy was so terrified of the beefy man.

"Go into the living room and stay there. I'm taking Harry away from here."

Petrified of what Sirius would do to them if they didn't comply, the Dursleys complied without another word. Once they had scurried out of the hall, Sirius relaxed his features and walked apprehensively to the cupboard, so as not to scare the little boy further.

What he saw did not please him.

In the small, confined space there was a thin, ratty blanket and a pillow that looked like it was missing half of its stuffing. Upon further investigation, Sirius spotted a tattered stuffed stag that he, himself had bought the boy. With sickening comprehension, Sirius realized that this shabby cupboard was the little boy's _room_. Turning his gaze, he saw his godson fearfully staring up at him with round, emerald eyes that were overflowing with unshed tears.

"Harry?" Sirius said softly. His godson's head snapped up, his petite bottom lip trembled a bit. "It's okay now, Prongslet… Nothing's going to hurt you. I promise." Sirius reached out his hand slowly, as to show Harry that he was harmless. Harry looked at the hand apprehensively, confused as to what would happen if he dared take it. "Come on, kiddo it's okay… You're going to live with me now."

"R-rwelly?" the toddler asked, hopefully.

"Yes, really Harry," Sirius replied gently. "Let's get your things, okay?"

Harry nodded hesitantly and crawled closer to the man. _'He sure is being nice to me, so I guess he's safe,'_ he thought.

"All right, so where are your clothes at, Prongslet?" Sirius asked, still being careful to keep his voice soft.

"I-I'm weawing dem," Harry said confused. _'Was that the right answer?'_

"No I mean your other clothes," Sirius said gently. _'Surely these tatty old clothes he's wearing are only night clothes.'_

The toddler's brow furrowed in confusion, and he shook his head slowly as if to say, "What other clothes? I have no idea what you're talking about."

"You know, the clothes you wear when these ones are being washed," Sirius told him.

Harry giggled a little bit, softly. _'Oh I get it! He's joking!'_

"What so funny?" Sirius asked concerned.

"Oh… sawy… I tot you was tidding," Harry said, confused again.

"No… You mean you really don't have _any_ other clothes?" Sirius asked alarmed.

Harry shook his head. "N-no, sir."

"All right then… Here's this," Sirius said handing Harry his toy stag. "And don't worry about your blanket and pillow there… I have a _much _better bedding set for you at home. Come on." He slouched out of the cupboard and offered a hand to his young godson, who took it hesitantly. As Sirius gently pulled the little boy out of the minute space and into the lighted hallway, he suddenly realized how filthy the child was. The seat of his pants were soiled with urine, his black unruly hair was dirty and unkempt, and he had dirt smears littering his face and body. And the baggy clothes did nothing to hide how unbelievably thin he was. Harry looked up at his godfather expectantly and cocked his head when he noticed how closely the man was scrutinizing him. Sirius finally met his eye.

"Before we go do you want me to get rid of that?" Sirius asked nodding his head towards Harry's pants.

Harry looked down at his front and blushed. "Y-yes pwease," he mumbled, embarrassed with himself.

"All right then," Sirius chuckled. "Hold still… _Evanesco!_ There you go."

Harry looked down, shocked. "Whoa!" he whispered.

"Pretty cool, huh?" Sirius chortled. Harry nodded, still goggling at the man. "Come on. Let's go." He pulled the front door open and walked out into the night, with Harry's hand in his.

Sirius walked Harry down the street a ways, until he got to a good apparation spot. He then bent down to pick up the toddler next to him. This gesture, however, startled Harry and the little boy flinched away violently. "It's okay, kiddo. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to pick you up. Come on…"

Harry scuffled back toward his godfather timidly. And once again Sirius reached down to pick him up, but this time the child didn't move away. Sirius placed the toddler on his hip and balanced the boy there with only one arm. Harry didn't flinch but he did tense considerably at the unfamiliar contact. But after a couple of moments Harry decided the man's actions were harmless and relaxed in the strong arms of his godfather.

"All right, Harry, hold on tight, okay? You're going to feel a little strange for a moment, but it's okay. And make sure to hold on to your stag tightly too," Sirius informed him gently.

Harry nodded childishly and gripped his godfather and his toy firmly, almost putting Sirius in a chokehold. Sirius then, apparated. Harry felt the strange sensation of apparating and did not like it one bit. He felt his tiny chest compress like he was being forced down a suction tube. When they landed Harry wrapped his arms around his godfather's neck snuggly and buried his face in the crook of the man's neck as he sobbed, terrified.

"Oh, Harry," Sirius said somberly. "I'm sorry, kiddo. We won't do that again, okay? I didn't mean to scare you. Shh… it's okay." After a while Harry's sobs succumbed to small, detached hiccups. He looked up at his godfather pitifully. The man smiled sadly back. Then Harry looked around them. What he saw was the most wonderful thing he'd ever seen.

They were standing at the base of a hill with a black rod-iron fence in front of them. There at the top of the hill sat a glorious castle. Sirius looked at Harry's stunned face and had to chuckle at the sight. The boy's eyes were huge as if they might just pop from their sockets, and his mouth formed a little "o."

"Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Harry!" Sirius declared.

"I knew it!" Harry cried. "I knew it was weal!"

"Knew what was real?" Sirius asked.

"Magic!"

"Of course it is! Who told you otherwise?"

"Uncle Vewrnon."

"Oh." With that Sirius headed off toward the school with Harry on his hip.

The trip up the hill was aggravatingly long in Sirius's mind. And after a while Harry yawned out of exhaustion. Sirius reached up with his free hand and gently pressed Harry's head to the crook of his neck.

"Go ahead and sleep a bit, kiddo."

Harry obliged with little struggle. He wanted very badly to see the castle more but his eyelids begged to differ, and within minutes the toddler was fast asleep, holding his stag close.

When Sirius finally made it up to the castle and up to Dumbledore's office, he found the headmaster sitting quite still and in a pensive state. The old wizard looked up as Sirius shut the door quietly as not to wake Harry. Sirius glared daggers at the old man.

"Sirius?" Dumbledore murmured also taking notice of the sleeping child.

Sirius laid Harry down on the sofa in the Headmaster's Office. The little boy stirred but didn't wake. He rolled on his side and continued to breathe deeply. Sirius smiled warmly at the adorable sight, but then turned, his expression instantly stony.

"They _beat_ him, Albus!" Sirius whispered harshly.

"T-they what?" the old man replied, shocked.

"They. _Beat_. Him."

"A-are you… are you sure," Albus asked.

"When I walked into that house Dursley had him pinned by the throat and was about to hit him with a whip! That boy is only _three years old_!" Sirius was finding it hard to keep his voice down.

"S-Sirius I assure you I had _no _idea!" Albus stated. "I knew that they weren't treating him like an equal member of the family… but _beating_ him… I didn't think that they would do that to their own flesh and blood… I thought–"

"You thought that they would put the past behind them, right?"

"I'm sorry, Sirius," Albus said earnestly. "I really had no idea! If I knew I would have taken him away from there, I promise. I thought he would be safest there!"

"I know, Albus. I know," Sirius said exhaustedly. "It's not your fault it's just… I was just angry…"

"Are you going to apparate home then?" Albus asked after a moment of silence.

"Actually I was wondering if I could use your floo. Harry didn't like apparating very much," Sirius informed him. "It scared him a bit."

"Of course, my boy! Go right ahead, though you should probably wake him first."

"Yeah… Harry," Sirius called gently, so as to not scare the poor child. "Harry, kiddo, wake up… Come on, Prongslet wake up for me."

Harry stirred and opened his bright, emerald eyes blearily. "There we go… c'mere…" Sirius opened his arms up to Harry to pick him up. And Harry allowed it.

"Why hello there, Harry," Dumbledore said standing next to Sirius. Harry bashfully hid his face into Sirius' neck. "Well it looks like somebody's a little shy."

Sirius nodded and smiled at his new charge. "All right, Harry," Sirius said warmly. "Let's go home. This time we're going to floo instead of apparating like last time okay?"

Harry nodded. Sirius grabbed a handful of floo powder and tossed it into the fire. The jade flames fascinated Harry. Sirius stepped into the flames and shouted, "Padfoot Residence!"

_Zoom!_ The two of them whooshed out of sight, spinning quickly. When they landed Sirius quickly looked at Harry. The boy's eyes were bright with excitement and he giggled.

"Wow! Tan we do dat adain?" Harry asked breathlessly.

"Maybe tomorrow, Prongslet," Sirius chuckled. "For now it's time for bed, okay?" The man smiled warmly at the toddler.

"Otay!" Harry said. Sleep sounded good too.

Sirius carried Harry upstairs and into a sizeable room. He placed Harry into a squishy queen-sized bed and pulled the covers over the boy.

"Awe you my daddy?" Harry asked innocently.

"No… I'm not. But I will do my best to take care of you like a daddy. Is that okay?"

Harry nodded. "But what do I tall you?"

"You can call me Sirius or Padfoot, whichever one you'd like. And in the morning I'll give you some more explanations, okay? But right you need to sleep, kiddo,"

"O-o-otay… S-Sirius," Harry mumbled sleepily. "Doodnight."

"Goodnight, Prongslet. Sleep tight." And with that Sirius snuck quietly out of the room and left the door cracked in case Harry needed him.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Let me know if you like it! : )


	2. Breakfast and a Bath

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter! I kind of wish I did though! I'd be filthy rich!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Oh my! I was not expecting so many people to have reviewed already! :) I am so glad you all enjoyed it! I messaged all of you that reviewed unless of course your review was anon, but I just thought you all should know that I appreciated the time you took to review!! Anyway on to Chapter Two!

Chapter Two: Breakfast and a Bath

The next morning Sirius woke up to the sun shining brightly through the slightly open window. A warm, summer morning breeze blew across his face. Closing his eyes against the light, he took a deep breath and stretched.

'_There's something different about today,'_ he thought groggily. _'Oh yeah! Harry!'_

Sirius sat straight up in bed and looked around to find a pair of round, emerald eyes staring intently at him in fear. The little boy was standing next to the bed and had his legs squeezed together, wriggling uncomfortably.

"What's the matter?" Sirius asked, concerned about his godson's bizarre behavior.

"I-I'm sawy sir… I-I dust… hafta go p-potty… I-I didn't mean ta wake you up, s-sir," Harry said desperately as if he was afraid that the man would hit him for having to use the loo. "Pwease may I use da baffroom?"

"Of course you can! You don't have to ask _that_, Prongslet!"

"Tank you!" the little boy nearly shouted in relief as he sprinted from the room. From down the hall Sirius heard the boy shut the door. He smiled to himself when he heard the toilet flush. A few seconds later, the toddler tentatively came back into Sirius's room.

"Hey, kiddo! Did you wash your hands?" Sirius asked smiling.

"U-uh? What?" Harry asked confused. _'Was that a trick question?'_

"You know, after you went potty… Did you wash your hands?" Sirius replied gently.

"U-um n-no?" Harry wasn't sure what he was supposed to say, but maybe if he told the truth he'd be in less trouble.

"Well let's go do that then," Sirius said getting out of bed and leading Harry back to the bathroom. "Here we go." He reached up and turned the faucet on to lukewarm. "C'mere…" Harry came a bit closer, still not sure if he was in trouble.

'_That water could be really hot,'_ he thought to himself.

"C'mon, kiddo," Sirius coaxed. "I'm not gonna hurt you, Harry. I'm just going to wash your hands." Harry allowed Sirius to lift him up to the sink and place his hands in the water. The boy relaxed when he realized the water wasn't going to burn him. He watched as Sirius squirted a dab of soap in his tiny hands, gently rubbing them between his two larger ones. The boy giggled as the soap lathered into tiny bubbles. Sirius couldn't believe how fascinated Harry was with something as simple as washing his hands, but the little boy just laughed and laughed. Then, Sirius rinsed and dried Harry's hands, and led the boy out into the hall.

"All right Harry," Sirius stated. "How about some breakfast?"

"Oh! Wight! Sawy, sir! I was donna do dat urlier but I dinnit know what you likeded ta eat," Harry stammered.

"Huh?" Sirius had no idea what Harry was talking about. But then it dawned on him._**He**__ expects to have to make breakfast for __**me**_' he thought. "Oh! I didn't mean it like that! I meant: how would _you_ like to _have_ some breakfast? _I'm_ going to make it, silly."

"You is?" Harry asked. "Why awe you donna do dat?"

"Because I'm the parent, and that's my job."

"Oh…" Harry said. _'That's not what Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon do for Dudley.'_

"Yeah! C'mon!" Sirius said picking Harry up and swinging him onto his hip. Harry, who was startled by the sudden contact, tensed and gripped his godfather's shirt desperately. Sirius noticed but decided to ignore it. Harry would have to learn to get used to that sort of contact by himself, and the only way for that to happen was for Sirius to keep picking the child up.

"Okie dokie!" Sirius said once they had reached the kitchen. "What do you want for breakfast, Prongslet?"

"What!" Harry was shocked. _'I don't get to pick the breakfast! That's Dudley's job! What if I pick wrong?'_

"There's no right or wrong answer, kiddo. Just tell me what you want. You won't get in any trouble, I promise."

"I tan have any ting I want?" Harry asked unsure. "And I won't dit in twouble?"

"That's right, Prongslet."

"Tan I have aides?" Harry asked.

"Eggs?"

"Yeah aides!" Harry said.

"That's fine."

"Awe you mad?"

"Of course not! Why would you think that?"

"Betause I'm undratmul…"

"Ungrateful?"

"Yeah undratmul!"

"When were you being ungrateful?"

"I aksed you fowr aides…"

"That's not being ungrateful."

"It's not?"

"No, I asked you to tell me what you wanted for breakfast. And if eggs is what you want, then it's eggs you're going to get," Sirius chuckled. He tickled the little boy on his hip, and to his amusement, the three-year-old let out a squeal of laughter.

A couple of minutes later, Harry was lying back on the kitchen counter while Sirius mercilessly tickled him. The toddler shrieked and squirmed around trying to get away from the tickle torture.

"S-Sirius!" he squealed through his laughter. "S-S-Sirius!!"

"All right," Sirius chuckled. He stopped tickling his godson and pulled the boy back on his hip. Harry's laughter quieted into giggles and finally into silence, while a blissful smile remained on his angelic face. "Time to make breakfast!"

"Otay!" Harry said gleefully. Sirius sat him at the table, opened the fridge and took out the eggs. Then he opened a cabinet and pulled out a small skillet. Lighting the stove, he placed the skillet onto a burner and lightly and cracked about six eggs into it.

The eggs began to sizzle, and Harry could feel his mouth beginning to water. It had been a long time since he had been allowed to have eggs. He swung his legs absent-mindedly from his position on the chair. Suddenly, Sirius pulled back from the stove and had two plates float to the table. Turning around, he placed the eggs on the plates.

"Eat up, kiddo!" Sirius said as he set a fork on the table next to Harry's plate. Then he turned and opened the fridge, replacing the carton of eggs, and asked, "Would you like orange juice or pumpkin juice?"

"Pummkin, pwease!" Harry was starting to like being able to answer questions (but he added the please in there just in case).

"All right, here we go." Sirius poured two glasses of pumpkin juice and set them on the table. He then began devouring his eggs. He stopped suddenly when he noticed Harry still hadn't touched anything on his plate. "Go on, Prongslet," he said around his eggs. "Dig in!"

Harry was shocked that he was allowed to eat at the same time as the man sitting next to him, but he didn't wait for any other invitation. He snatched his fork and hastily gulped down the yummy eggs. Sirius watched him and couldn't help but notice that the boy looked like a half-starved dog. Harry didn't even wait to swallow the last bite before stuffing in a new one. It was like he was expecting the food to be snatched away from him at any minute. Soon Sirius began to worry that his godson might choke!

"Whoa! Slow down… You don't want to choke, now," Sirius said soothingly. "Swallow first before putting a new bite in, okay? No one's going to take it away, I promise."

Harry nodded and obediently finished chewing and swallowing the eggs in his mouth before scooping more eggs on the fork and shoveling it into his mouth.

'_His table manners aren't the best, but at least he eats with a fork,' _Sirius thought_ 'Then again, he __**is**__ only three.'_ He then returned to eating the eggs off of his own plate. Once the two of them were finished, Sirius placed the dishes in the sink and decided to actually _wash_ them later. _'Right now, Harry needs a bath!'_

"All right, kiddo, it's time for a bath!" Sirius said merrily. However he took one look at Harry and his merriment vanished. The boy's eyes were wide and panicky. And Sirius noticed his little godson was trembling with trepidation.

"Harry?"

"N-no… p-p-p-pwease…I-I-I-I d-don't w-want t-to… I'll be dood… I pwomise!" Fresh, unshed tears blurred the child's vision.

"Harry… It's okay… I promise I'm not going to hurt you, okay?" Sirius said gently. "We just have to get you cleaned up. You're all dirty."

Harry shook with sobs. It broke Sirius's heart to hear the awful sound coming from the innocent boy in front of him. It was obvious Harry had some unwanted history with baths, and it was painful to think of what the diminutive child was remembering. Sirius gathered the broken child into his arms and rocked him gently whispering soothing words into his ear. After a little while Harry calmed down, though when Sirius pulled back he noticed the youngster's lip still trembled.

"I'll never ever hurt you, Harry. Never!" Sirius said sincerely. "I just want to give you bath so that we can get the mud and gunk off of you, all right?"

Harry sniffled and nodded timidly. Wrapping his skinny arms around his godfather's neck, he hid his face as the man lifted the tot up, placed him on his hip and walked upstairs. When they made it to the bathroom, Harry twisted around in his godfather's arms so he could stare apprehensively at the ominous bathtub. He gripped desperately at Sirius's neck as the man bent to turn on the faucet, testing the water to find the perfect temperature.

The water roared as it dispensed forcefully into the tub. The downpour crashed to the bottom of the bath and splashed up creating a mist, as if to let one think that it was safe and inviting. But Harry knew differently. Water was neither safe nor inviting. In Harry's mind it was treacherous and nauseating. Uncle Vernon had taught him that for sure.

When the tub was full, Harry watched Sirius turn off the faucet, with a sickening sensation in his tummy. He whimpered softly.

"It's okay Harry… We're just taking a bath remember? Nothing else…" Sirius said. The boy still looked petrified. The water had become deathly calm like a viper getting ready to strike. He quivered. "Would some bubbles make you feel better?"

Harry shrugged. He had no idea if the bubbles would make him feel better; he'd never had a bubble bath before.

"I'll go get the bubble bath… wait right here." Sirius disappeared, leaving Harry with the "enemy". Harry glowered at the still water. He could almost hear it taunting him. But before Harry had time to retaliate, Sirius was back. He walked calmly to the tub and dumped some of the bubble bath oil in and dragged his hand through the water, causing the concoction to lather into a mass of delightful bubbles. And Harry soon found that the bubbles _did_ help – a bit.

"All right, Prongslet let's get these clothes off of you. Arms up," Sirius instructed gently. Harry obeyed and Sirius removed the disgusting excuse for a shirt and tossed it in the trash. "After your bath I'm going to shrink a few of my things down for you to wear, okay?"

Harry nodded as Sirius helped him out of what Sirius supposed were jeans (they went in the trash too). Next came Harry's miniature boxer shorts and tattered old socks. Sirius trashed them as well. Once naked, Harry bowed his head in embarrassment. This was usually the part when Uncle Vernon would criticize him for how freakish he looked. But Sirius didn't say anything remotely close to that. He merely said, "Hop in the tub, kiddo." He hadn't missed the bruises and cuts littering the toddler's body. He made a mental note to make sure the Dursleys paid dearly for their treatment of his godson.

Harry obeyed. He clambered into the tub and stood silently. "Go ahead and sit down. The water's nice and warm, Prongslet." Harry sat. Sirius grabbed the bottle of "tear-free shampoo plus conditioner" and got straight to work. He lathered the boy's hair gently and hummed soothingly. After a while, Harry relaxed. The sweet scent of the shampoo seemed to calm the child. After rinsing the messy, black hair, Sirius moved on to washing Harry's body. The boy tensed here and there, but other that, Sirius thought it went fine. When he was finished, he sat back and allowed Harry to play with the bubbles for a while before deciding it was time to get dressed. He helped Harry out of the tub and wrapped the boy in a warm, fluffy, towel. It engulfed his tiny body like a blanket. He lifted Harry up into his arms and carried the boy to his room.

"Wait here, okay?" Sirius said as he placed Harry gently on the large bed. The boy nodded, earnestly. Sirius left the room and returned a short time later with a pair of large overalls, a red t-shirt, a pair of blue boxer shorts and a pair of plain white socks. "You're mum gave me these overalls a long time ago," Sirius informed the youngster.

"Rwelly?"

"Mmhmm… But I don't think they're really my style. They'd look cute on you though."

Harry blushed. "Yeah… maybe…"

A few spells, pulls and tugs later found Harry red-shirt and overall clad. And it truly was the most adorable sight Sirius had ever seen. He smiled warmly at the boy, picked him up and carried him downstairs. This time, Harry didn't tense up at all.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Wow! You guys thanks so much for reviewing! I hoped you like this chapter as much as you liked the last. And don't worry the next chapter will have explanations and REMUS!! Hooray! And there might be a visit a certain not-so-friendly potions master… hint, hint… nudge, nudge! Anyhoo, R&R pwease!!


	3. Expected and Unexpected Meetings

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter. I hope I didn't disappoint anyone… sorry…

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have had a really terrible day… but I would like to thank everyone for reviewing… It really did make me feel better. It's just I don't really have time to message everyone individually this time. Anyway I hope you guys enjoy the third chapter.

Chapter Three: Expected and Unexpected Meetings

"Harry, a friend of mine is going to come over today," Sirius told the boy once they had gone downstairs. "His name is Remus. He's really excited to meet you."

"He's donna meet me?" Harry asked.

"He sure is. But first I have to explain some stuff to you, okay?"

"Otay."

"Come sit with me on the couch, kiddo."

Harry followed Sirius to the couch and tried desperately to clamber onto the cushion. But it stood so high from the ground that Harry's little legs couldn't push him up high enough. He struggled a bit until Sirius was incapable of watching Harry suffer any longer. The man reached down swiftly and tugged the boy up gently by the back of the overall straps.

"Tank you!" Harry said panting. He laid his head on the back of the couch in exhaustion. Sirius smiled at the tender act of innocence.

"Harry, do you know what happened to your parents?" Sirius asked, deciding that he should just get the painful part over with.

"Y-yes."

"You do?"

"Yeah… dey died in a cawr cwash. Dat's how I dot my thcar," Harry told him, holding up his bangs to expose a thin lightening bolt scar on his forehead.

"D-did your aunt and uncle tell you that?" Sirius asked with a sigh. He was trying desperately not to go straight over to the Dursleys and turn them all into roaches squish them—something he had been contemplating since the day he had seen Mr. Dursley pinning Harry to the wall.

"Uh-huh."

"Well… T-that's not true, kiddo. They lied to you," Sirius tried. _'How do you tell a three-year-old boy that his parents were betrayed and murdered?'_

"S'not?"

"No… your parents didn't die in a car crash, Prongslet. They were m-murdered…"

"Wassat?"

"Oh… um… murdered is when someone kills someone else…"

"Why… would you does dat?"

"Uh… you know how I took you to see Hogwarts?"

"Yeah! It was a stool fowr magic!"

"Right, magic! Well… you'll go there someday… because you're a wizard."

"I is?"

"Yes you are… So am I… But… There are good _and_ bad wizards out there, pup."

"Were da dood tind wight?"

"Yes. We're the good kind… But… There was a wizard… named Voldemort that was the very _bad_ kind and… He didn't like your parents at all… Well, mostly he didn't like your father, James–"

"My daddy's name were James?"

"Y-yeah, kiddo. And your mum's name was Lily…"

"Wow!"

"Anyway–"

"Oh! Sawy fowr innerupting…" Harry hung his head apologetically.

"No, no it's okay, kiddo. I'm not mad!"

"You isn't?"

"Well… I'm not mad at _you_. You haven't done anything wrong, okay?"

"Otay…"

"Oh, right! Back to the story. Voldemort didn't like your dad because he was an extremely amazing wizard… But he wouldn't join Voldemort because he was bad… James fought against him… Then after you were born, your mum and dad wanted to keep you safe… So they hid. But he found them anyway And… He came to the house… James d-died to save you and your mum… And your mum died to save you… It's important that you understand that your mum and dad loved you so much."

Harry's bright green orbs filled with watery tears as he listened to the real story of what happened to his parents. As soon as Sirius finished telling the disheartening tale, Harry broke into a fit of sobs. His godfather knew that Harry wouldn't be able to handle the rest until he was older, so he stopped there, holding the boy in his arms. The toddler didn't understand. Why would anyone ever _kill_ another person? It didn't make any sense. Why would Voldemort want to be _bad_? Why would _anyone_ want to be bad? Why?

"Shh," Sirius breathed soothingly to the little boy. "It's all right now…"

Harry hiccupped out the rest of his sobs and looked at his godfather miserably. "Are dey evar donna tum back?" he asked innocently.

"N-no, puppy. They're not… But you can always have them in your heart… And… I'll be here for you… always."

"Was you deir fwiend?" Harry sniffled.

"Yes… Your dad was the best friend I ever had, kiddo," Sirius said, his own voice cracking. "He was like a brother…"

"Oh…" Harry really couldn't think of anything else to say. He merely couldn't come up with any words that went with that "oh."

"And when you were born your parents made me your godfather. And I promised them that if anything were to happen to them, I would take care of you. And I always will, okay?"

"Otay," Harry said wiping the tears out of his eyes roughly.

Just then, the fireplace filled suddenly with bottle green flames and out stepped a man that Harry didn't recognize. The man looked pale, thin, a bit drained. However, the new face smiled congenially, coating the worn features with a fresh mask of youthful amusement. His eyes were a smoky amber at first glance, but in the light they would turn a honey golden. He had mousy, sandy brown hair that was somewhat long but pulled neatly into a low ponytail, leaving only the man's bangs hanging in front of those strange, golden eyes. And at the moment the man was eyeing Harry in a peculiar way.

"Hello there, Harry," the man said. "My name is Remus Lupin. And the last time I saw you… I think you had just turned a year old."

"Remus, here, was a good friend of your parents too, Prongslet," Sirius told his new charge.

"Rwelly?" Harry asked intrigued.

"I sure was! How are you liking it here with old Padfoot?"

"I am _not_ old!" Sirius interjected. Remus rolled his eyes at Harry, who giggled.

"He's just trying to make himself feel better. Anyway… Look how big you are!"

"I is?" Harry said. "I tot I is wittle."

"Well you're much bigger than the last time I saw you. How old are you now? Three?"

"Uh-huh… I turneded three a wittle bit ago…on da tirti-furst"

"Really? The thirty-first, huh?" Remus smiled. "What did you do for your birthday? Did you have any friends come over? Maybe eat some cake?"

For some reason, unbeknownst to Remus (of course Sirius understood, only he didn't have the same reaction), Harry burst into a peel of laughter. _'Why on earth would __**I**__ get a birthday?'_ he thought.

"What's so funny, Harry?" Remus asked.

"I don't det a birfday, silly," he stated, around little giggles. "Only Dudley dets to have a birfday."

"You don't… get… a birthday?" Remus was confused. "Well, why not?"

"Betause I'm an undratmul fweak… That's what Uncle Vewrnon says…"

"That isn't true!" Sirius said, pulling Harry close to him in a fierce hug. "Everything those people ever said to you is wrong. You're not ungrateful, and you most definitely are _not _a freak!"

"I isn't?" It was Harry's turn to be confused. Why didn't his aunt and uncle like him then? There had to be a reason.

"No you're not," Sirius replied gently.

"Oh."

"Hey, Harry?" Remus's voice sounded.

"Yeah?"

"I have something for you… Why don't you stay in here play with this while I go talk to your godfather, okay?" Remus said pulling a little dragon set out of his pocket. "They do everything a real dragon does, except breathe fire, because I bought the child- safe set," he told Sirius.

"Whoa!" Harry said amazed. His eyes were sparkling with excitement. He took the little box from Remus. "Tank you!"

"You're welcome, cub."

Harry started playing with the tiny dragons, while Sirius and Remus went into the kitchen.

"What the hell?" Remus said once they were out of earshot. "What did those people do to him?"

"I don't know fully, but when I went to pick him up, Dursley had him pinned… by the… _throat_… and he was going to hit Harry with a belt… I wanted to… I wanted to _murder_ him… But… how I could let Harry see something like that… So I told them to go to the other room and took Harry away from there…" Sirius was livid. That much was clear.

"You did the right thing by leaving. If you had killed them, you could have been sent back to Azkaban. Think about how that would hurt Harry," Remus said. "He's really taken a liking to you all ready."

"Yeah… But I want to make them pay," Sirius said. "You should have seen the bruises on him. I saw them when I gave him a bath… It was terrible…"

"What are you going to do?" Remus asked. "They can't go completely unpunished!"

"I don't know… I think I'll have to take them to court," Sirius replied running a hand through his wavy, black hair.

"What's wrong with that? They'd at least get seven years."

"I know… But I don't know if I want to put Harry through that… I mean he's been through enough… Without the muggle 'po-lease' questioning him right and left."

"Yeah… but that's the only way you'll see justice." Remus claimed. "…Well without being chucked into Azkaban."

"I know, I know," Sirius sighed. "I'm going to do it… I just don't like it."

Suddenly, there was a shrill shriek from the living room. Sirius and Remus bolted into the room. What they found almost sent Sirius into a rage. There in the middle of the room was the tall, greasy-haired potions master, Severus Snape. He was towering over the tiny toddler with a stern, disgusted look on his face. The little boy, however, was curled up, and his eyes were wide with terror. Tiny model dragons were running wildly around the youngster.

"Snape!" Sirius snapped. "What are you doing to him!"

"I believe the correct question would be what is this _brat_ is doing to me!" he retorted.

"I don't believe towering over the child is necessary, Severus," Remus replied calmly, but one could still hear the acid in the words.

Snape stepped back away from the boy with a sour expression imprinted on his face. He sniffed indignantly.

"Harry, c'mere, kiddo," Sirius said gently. The little boy scurried over to the man and hid behind the tall legs, peering out from behind them. _'Sirius will protect me,' _he thought to himself.

"Now what is this all about, Snape?" Sirius asked coolly. "Why are you here?"

"I am here to inform you that the headmaster wishes to speak with you this evening at eight o'clock. And, you are to bring the boy. Whatever it is that you will be discussing somehow involves him. Therefore, Professor Dumbledore believes it's best to bring the boy along."

"Is that everything?" Sirius asked bitingly.

"Actually it is," Severus sneered. "However, I couldn't help but notice that your young charge is undoubtedly going to be as spoiled as his father. He's already nearly identical to him. You must be so proud."

"Actually we _are_ proud of him. And you have no idea what he's been through, Snivellus, so I suggest you keep your comments to yourself! And how dare you insult James in front of him! He's his _father_!" Sirius barked.

"It's better if the boy grows up knowing the truth. James Potter was an arrogant, hypocritical, idle, egotistical fool!"

"What's arrobant and hyponitimul mean?" Harry asked tugging lightly on his godfather's robes.

"I'll tell you in a minute, kiddo," Sirius said to Harry smiling. Then he turned back to the potions master, eyes blazing. He opened his mouth to retort but Remus beat him to it.

"HOW DARE YOU! This boy had to lose his parents at the age of one and you… _you_ want to put his father down? What the hell is wrong with you?" Remus snarled. His kind, amber eyes had turned a dangerous gold. "I _know_ you didn't like James, Severus, but I didn't think you'd sink that low. He may not have been nice to you, but you weren't exactly a peach to him either! James was a good man! No matter how much you hated him, he always did what he thought was right for the common welfare of _everyone_! So, don't you _dare_ insult his memory, especially in front of Harry!"

Silence.

Everyone was stunned, except maybe Harry, who simply appeared confused. Remus was usually the calm, collected one, the one to think now and act later. But now it was obvious that Snape had struck a nerve. Remus was rampant. His eyes were a golden-yellow and his upper lip was pulled back in an almost wolf-like growl. Snape decided to step down from this row. He was stubborn, but he was smart enough to not go in against a livid werewolf. He slunk back into the fireplace and flooed back to Hogwarts without saying anything to the family threesome.

Remus sucked in a deep breath, his eyes slowly transforming back into their deep, amber color. Once he was calmed, he turned to Harry, seeing as Sirius was still gaping at him, kneeled down next to him, and said, "No matter what that man may say or show you, your father was a good man. He was a fine friend, okay?"

"Otay," Harry said, confused, but agreeing anyway. Remus smiled and stood back up, glancing at Sirius's face. His mouth was wide open and his eyes popped.

"You gonna be all right there, Padfoot?" he asked.

"What? O-oh y-yeah… yeah…" Sirius replied. "Harry I don't want you to worry about those things he said. All of those words are rude and you shouldn't say them, okay?"

"Otay," Harry agreed. It was then that he realized he had to go potty. "Um… s-sir?"

Sirius choked in surprise at the title. He knew Harry had called him that before but he was sure he had told Harry to call him Sirius or Padfoot. The title of "sir" made him feel old. "Y-you don't need to c-call me that, k-kiddo," he coughed.

"O-oh… otay… um… b-but… um… I dotta doe potty… Tan I doe?"

"Of course you can. Remember, I told you that you don't have to ask that —you can just go. Do you want me to help you wash your hands?" Sirius replied.

Harry nodded, "Tank you, sir – I mean Sirius." Then he took off up the stairs to use the bathroom. Sirius followed, smiling to himself. That kid sure knew how to make his day.

Remus watched as the two of them climbed the stairs, catching the small, loving smile that played on Sirius's mouth. _'I think this is going to save both of them.'_

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay… well it wasn't the best chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it… Please read and review… I'll try to respond to these ones… Sorry… : )


	4. Revelations and Nightmares

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is related to Harry Potter… I just really enjoy creating new plots with J

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything that is related to Harry Potter… I just really enjoy creating new plots with J.K. Rowling's marvelous characters!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Please don't hate me. I really do appreciate the reviews you guys have entered, and I do read them, but I simply don't have the time to respond to all of them. So I'll just answer a few of your frequent/important question now:

A few of you asked **why I didn't have Madam Promfrey or another healer check over Harry?** Well, Harry didn't have any extensive injuries, like broken bones, and Madam Promfrey wasn't at the school when Sirius took Harry there (I forgot to mention that… sorry). But Harry will be going to St. Mungo's for a normal check-up in either this chapter or the next one (I haven't decided) because Sirius is being his protective self.

Another question was **why does Harry have such good vocabulary… or what is with his speech?** Well, I'm making Harry a tad bit more intelligent than other three year olds (and you'll soon find out how much when Harry goes to the healer). However, he was never allowed to express his intelligence with the Dursleys so his speech couldn't improve much resulting in an excessive vocabulary, but insufficient pronunciation. Sorry for the confusion on that.

**Why does Harry talk so much?** To answer that you have to think back to when you were a kid and your parents left you with a baby-sitter or something. When they got back didn't seem like you had loads to tell them? Well… that's what's happening to Harry. He was hardly allowed to speak at the Dursley residence. So naturally when Harry learns that Sirius is interested in what he has to say, Harry's going to take full advantage of that and spill out his heart and soul.

**As for why Harry's afraid of water**, you will find that out in this chapter via nightmare. And just to warn you… It's heart breaking… Well… I guess the rest of the abuse is too though…

And a few of you asked** how long I am planning on making this?** To be honest I really have no idea. I'm just going to keep writing until the story has come to a definite ending, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. Actually, I was quite hoping to get through all of Harry's years at Hogwarts… But we'll see how that goes… Tee Hee…

Anyway, I believe this is the longest author's note I've ever had. But anyway on with the story!

Chapter Four: Revelations and Nightmares

"Harry?" Sirius called over the dinner table.

Harry's head snapped up to meet his godfather's eyes.

"You need to eat up, kiddo."

"I-I'm awowed to eat dis?" the child questioned. He had thought that Sirius, like his Uncle Vernon, had placed the delicious-looking food in front of him to taunt him with it. He knew better than to eat without being instructed to do so. So he had sat patiently, looking into his lap solemnly.

"Of course you're allowed to eat it," Sirius replied. "Why? Don't you like lasagna?"

"I-I dunno, sir – I mean S-Sirius. I never ever twied it befowe," the three-year-old replied truthfully.

"Really? Well go ahead and try it… I must say I did a pretty good job on it."

"Rwelly? I'm not donna dit in twouble wight?"

"Yes, really. And no you're not going to get in trouble," Sirius replied smiling. "I have to fatten you up!"

Harry giggled. "Like Dudley?"

"No!" Sirius laughed. "Not like Dudley!"

"Dood! Betause I don't wanna look like Dudley," Harry snickered.

"I don't want you to look like him either," Sirius chortled. "But you _do_ need to eat up. Because I don't want you to be so skinny."

"Otay," Harry said, picking up his fork and cutting into the mouth-watering lasagna. Then, with one more tentative glance at his godfather for reassurance (Sirius nodded), he stuffed the bite into tiny mouth and chewed. It was the most delicious thing he had ever tasted.

"Mm…" He voiced his liking.

"Is it good?" Sirius asked chuckling at the little boy's reaction.

"Uh-huh!" Harry answered after he had swallowed. "Lasanyum's dood!"

"I'm glad you like it," Sirius told him. "So now all you have to do is finish up what's on your plate, and then we'll go see Dumbledore, okay?"

"Otay."

While he ate, Harry thought back throughout his day. Remus had come over that morning and stayed until well after lunch. Sirius and Remus had told Harry all sorts of stories about his parents, which dazzled the boy, of course. They asked Harry all kinds of questions about what he liked to do and what he didn't like to do. They asked him what his favorite color was. It happened to be red, much to Sirius's delight (he wanted Harry to like Gryffindor colors, so that they could paint his bedroom scarlet and gold). Harry was put down for a nap after lunch and woke back up at two. Remus finally left around three and Sirius and Harry played with the mini-dragon set until it was time to make dinner.

Once Harry's plate was empty, Sirius swept it away and into the sink. He turned and looked at the boy with a smile.

"All right, kiddo, we're going to visit Dumbledore!" he exclaimed.

"O-otay," Harry replied, a bit nervously.

"You don't have to worry about anything, pup. I'll be right there with you the whole time, okay?"

Harry nodded.

"All right then. Let's go get your shoes on." Sirius led Harry up the carpeted staircase gently. When they entered Harry's room, Sirius automatically began looking for Harry's shoes.

"What is you wooking fowr?" Harry asked after a while.

"Your shoes… Where'd you put them?" Sirius replied.

"I doesn't have none… member?" Harry told his godfather timidly.

"Oh! That's right! I forgot," Sirius said. "Well… I'm afraid I only have one pair of shoes and that's the pair I'm wearing… So I'll just have to carry you there, okay?"

Harry nodded. "Awe we donna go thwough the firepwace adain?"

"We sure are!" Sirius smiled. He watched in bliss as his tiny godson's face lit up considerably at the thought. The man chuckled.

The two of them headed back downstairs. Harry, being shoeless, was on Sirius's hip. However he rarely tensed at the contact anymore. Once downstairs, Sirius tossed a handful of floo powder into the hearth. Then, with Harry still resting on his hip, he stepped into the green flames.

"Dumbledore's Office!" he called out.

WHOOSH!

Finally the two of them stopped swirling and Sirius stepped into the Headmaster's office. Harry was giggling hysterically. Sirius grinned at the joyous sound.

"I take it he finds pleasure in the floo network then?" the old man chortled.

"Obviously," Sirius replied, chuckling himself. Harry finally calmed down and Sirius decided it was time to get to business. He set Harry on the lounge couch and took a seat next to the boy. "All right, Albus, what is it you needed?"

"Well, it seems that we have quite the little wizard on our hands," Dumbledore replied. His twinkling, sapphire eyes rested on Harry and he smiled. Harry blushed and looked down at his feet.

"What do you mean?" Sirius asked.

"Well, it has come to the Ministry's attention that young Harry here has been able to produce very advanced, wandless magic. Especially, considering his age, Harry has produced substantial powers that the Ministry hasn't seen in decades."

"Really?" Sirius said, shocked. "Like what?"

"He has produced countless shield charms, dozens of silencing wards, a few transfiguration spells, and not to mention the number of times he has been able to transport himself to an alternative location."

"Harry, did you know you could do that, kiddo?" Sirius asked his godson.

"Well, sometimes when Uncle Vewrnon would twy to whoop me I would cwose mine eyes and den dere would be a big light and it would push Uncle Vewrnon away fwom me," Harry told them naively. "Is dat bad?" He ducked his head regretfully. Both Sirius and Dumbledore smiled at the innocence.

"No, kiddo. It's not bad," Sirius told him. "All facts considered, I'd say it's actually very _good_!"

Yes, indeed it is!" Dumbledore chuckled. "But little Harry, here, needs some help with _controlling_ the power… If not he could accidentally use those powers in front of a muggle and the secret of our world would be vulnerable."

"Vummerble?" Harry mumbled to himself, trying to figure out the word's meaning in his head.

"It means in danger or out in the open," Sirius told Harry, gently.

"Oh!" Harry answered back, absorbing the new word like it was the key to the future.

_'Boy, he sure enjoys learning. He must have inherited that from Lily,'_ Sirius thought to himself as he observed the toddler.

"So, Sirius, I believe _that_ little snag is up to you," Dumbledore chirped, breaking into the other man's thoughts.

"So, are you wanting _me_ to teach him to control his magic?" he asked.

"Well… yes… That is precisely what I want you to do."

"But, I've never done anything like that before… How will I know what to do? How will I know if I'm even teaching him the right things?" Sirius asked, panic-stricken.

"Well I can always help if you need it, and I'm sure Remus Lupin would have no problem helping you and Harry, either," Dumbledore replied calmly.

"How do I know where to start?"

"Well I would start by making Harry feel completely comfortable living with you, so that he does not feel the need to use his magic to get what he needs or protect himself. Make him come to you instead."

"That's it? That will help him control his magic? Trusting me?" Sirius said.

"Why not? After all emotions are the spark to magic!" Dumbledore replied. "Trust is a deep emotion."

"Yeah… I suppose," Sirius replied absently. "Then what?"

"Well we'll have to wait and see. The trust may just be enough, but then again it may not. We'll just have to see."

"All right, then. I'll do my best. For him," Sirius said looking down at his godson, who didn't seem to be paying attention to the conversation at all. He was too busy staring at all the marvelous, surrounding trinkets in the room. They were truly fascinating in Harry's young mind. Of course he had no idea how any of them worked; he just liked how all of the items seemed to glisten in the light of the torches around the office.

"…ry… Harry?" Sirius voice broke into his musings.

"W-what?" Harry said in a little voice, shaking himself back into reality. "S-sawy…"

"Oh, it's okay, kiddo," Sirius replied with a smile. "I was just telling you that it's time to go home, okay?"

"Otay." Harry reached up and wrapped his arms around his godfather's neck as the man lifted him gently off the couch. "Yay! Were donna use da fwoo!" Harry quietly cheered.

"Yep, " Sirius chuckled. He tossed the powder into the grate and stepped into the green, blazing flames as they whisked around joyously. "Padfoot Residence!" The two of them whipped out of sight.

"My, my," Dumbledore chuckled once they disappeared. "That little boy's enough to brighten anyone's day!"

Back at their house, Sirius stepped out of the fireplace with a giggling Harry on his hip. He loved it when Harry laughed. He only wished that he could let the child know that it was okay to do so. He didn't want Harry to always quiet his laughter like he was doing now.

"What do you want to do before bed tonight, Harry?" Sirius asked. "Do you want me to read you something?"

Harry nodded enthusiastically. He'd never been read to before! He must have really done something to make Sirius happy with him if the man was willing to read to him before bedtime.

"All right," Sirius replied smiling. "I'm sure I put those children's books somewhere, upstairs. Let's get you ready for bed first, okay?" The two of them headed up the stairs and into the bathroom. Sirius helped Harry use the loo, wash his hands, and brush his teeth. Then, he led Harry into his bedroom and put him into some shrunken, red pajamas.

'_I really need to get this kid some clothes. We'll have to do that tomorrow. Plus, I need to take him to St. Mungo's to have him checked over. Just in case. I don't want him getting sick or anything like that! That would be awful!'_ he thought as he dragged the pajamas over the little boy's body.

Harry finally climbed into bed around 8:20 p.m. Sirius tucked him in and sat on the edge of the bed. He then pulled out his wand and said, "Accio children's book!" For a moment nothing happened, but then Harry watched in enthrallment as a thin book sailed into the room and into Sirius's hand.

"Amulgo the Amazing…" Sirius began. He read on and told the tale of Amulgo, who was an extremely skilled Quidditch player. And, being a children's book, it went on to tell about all the different balls and all of their colors. However, Harry didn't get to hear Amulgo's entire tale, for he fell fast asleep as soon as the Quaffle had been described.

"Goodnight, Harry," Sirius whispered as he kissed the little boy on the forehead. He walked out into the hall and, leaving the door slightly cracked, he walked downstairs to read his own book.

The book _he_ would be reading, however, was one over parenting. He wanted to be as prepared as possible, and if that meant he had to read, then that's what he would do – for Harry. The book was actually quite intriguing, considering how dull it could have been. However, the day's activities had left Sirius drained, and very soon he found himself asleep in his chair, only to be woken suddenly by a scream of terror.

Sirius instantly dashed up the stairs and burst into Harry's room, where the little boy was screaming and thrashing around violently.

"N-no, p-pwease! Uncle Vewrnon, I didn't mean to, I pwomise!" the boy sobbed.

Sirius rushed over to the bed and gathered Harry into his arms, rocking him. "Wake up, Harry. It's okay! Shh! It's all right. It's just a bad dream."

Harry's emerald eyes snapped open. At first he struggled against the arms as if his life depended on it, but then he heard his godfathers soothing voice. He relaxed considerably and sobbed into the man's robes. Sirius stroked Harry's hair and continued to murmur soft, reassuring words to the toddler. After a while Harry pulled back from the hug and sniffled pitifully. His round green orbs were bright with tears.

"How 'bout you sleep with me tonight?" Sirius offered. Harry merely nodded miserably. Sirius lifted the tot off of the bed and carried him down the hall and into his own room. He set Harry on the bed, transfigured his clothes into pajamas and crawled in next to the little boy. He wrapped his arms around Harry protectively, which allowed Harry to lay his head on Sirius's chest. Harry was out in minutes, and it didn't take long for Sirius follow.

And that's precisely how Remus Lupin found them the next day.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: It looks like the St. Mungo's Diagon Alley trip is going to be in the next update. Sorry! Anyway, I'm sorry about the delay in updating this story. I've been pretty busy lately, with my schedule planning, and work, and homework, and setting up art portfolios, and… well you get the point. It may be about a week before I get the next chapter posted because I need to update Much Needed Family… Anyway leave a review if you'd like. : )


	5. Let the Healing Begin!

DISCLAIMER: I don't own!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Great news guys! I finally have a beta!! So, you don't have to worry about the typos and grammar problems anymore! Everyone give a big round of applause to JadeSullivan! She will be beta-ing my chapters now and I have reposted the old chapters with her revisions! YAY!

Thanks to those who reviewed! I love you! Sorry about the slow update with Much Needed Family… I'm having a bit of a writer's block… And, of course I'm sorry about the delay in this update of this story… I've been unexpectedly busy at school and at work… Not to mention the fact that I was sick for a week straight… And then it was like 74 degrees F outside and it seemed like such a shame to waste the day away inside so, that's why it has taken so long! Oh and I'm sorry about the confusion on the last chapter in this story with the whole fear of water thing! I meant to write that Harry would have the nightmare in that chapter and tell Sirius about it in this one! Sorry about the confusion there! Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Chapter Five: Let the Healing Begin!

Sirius opened his eyes to find Remus Lupin standing in the doorway looking oddly amused. It took Sirius a minute to understand why his childhood friend was so tickled. Then it hit him. Harry, his three-year-old godson, was snoozing on his chest. His tiny fists were clinging to the front of the man's nightclothes as if he'd never let go. Sirius felt a soft smile spread on his face. The child looked so peaceful.

"He looks comfy," Remus commented with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh hush!" Sirius scoffed quietly, trying not to wake the sleeping child on his chest. "He had a nightmare last night. It's going to be hard enough trying to get him to tell me about it without your input!"

"Whoa! Calm down; I was only kidding!" Remus said almost shocked that the words came out of _his_ mouth and were directed at _Sirius_ instead of the other way around. "I can't believe _I'm_ telling _you _this, but lighten up!"

"Sorry it's just…after Harry had this nightmare I didn't know what to do," Sirius replied, just as quietly as before but this time less indignantly.

"Yeah, I understand. I'll meet you downstairs." Remus slipped silently out the door.

Just then the little boy in question moaned a bit before opening his eyes. "S-Sir-rus?" Harry croaked, as his voice had become dry in the duration of the night.

"I'm here, Prongslet," Sirius replied gently.

Harry moaned drowsily. "Wha time ith it," he mumbled.

"Almost ten. You were a sleepy boy, weren't you?" Sirius replied chuckling.

"TEN! I sawry sir! I dinnit mean to sweep so wong, sir!" Harry said in distress. The little boy tried to jump out of the bed in a rush, but Sirius grabbed him around the middle, pulled him back onto the bed, preventing the child from getting away.

"Where do you think you're going?" Sirius asked chuckling.

"Downstaiwrs. I dotta do mine chores," Harry said breathlessly, still a bit surprised at his godfather's arms pulling him back onto the bed.

"Oh no you don't!" Sirius chortled. "I want you to stay right here with me. I'll keep you nice and warm. And you can tell me about the dream you had last night."

Harry knew this was a test. He knew he wasn't supposed to talk about anything the Dursleys did. Uncle Vernon told him so. Therefore, just like he was trained, he shook his head at the mention of his dream.

"Harry I need you to tell me what your dream was about," Sirius coaxed.

Harry just shook his head again in earnest.

"Why don't you want to tell me, Harry?"

"Not 'pose to."

"Why not? Is that what your aunt and uncle told you?"

"Uh-huh," Harry replied with a nod.

"Harry, you don't have the same rules here as you did there. I need you to tell me what your dream was about, okay?"

"O-otay?"

"That's a good boy," Sirius said gently. "Now, what happened in your dream that scared you, kiddo?"

"Uh… well… Uncle Vewrnon was diving me a bath… and he was rweally mad. And den he pusheded mine head unner da water… And I was rweally stared! And den all da water was dawn! But den…" Harry hung his head.

"Then what, Prongslet?"

"H-he dot rweally mad… t-tause I made a-all d-da water doe away!" Tears shone in Harry's eyes.

"It's okay, pup. Tell me what he did next."

"He dust whopped me like awways."

"Is that why you didn't want to take a bath, yesterday?"

"Yes, sir," Harry glanced down, guiltily.

"I told you yesterday, you don't have to call me sir, Harry," Sirius told the toddler gently.

"Oh, wight! Sawry, sir – I mean S-Sirius!" Harry cried out. He looked up at Sirius fearfully.

"It's okay. You're not in trouble. I was just reminding you."

"O-otay," Harry muttered, looking down again.

"How about some breakfast?" Sirius said, trying to distract his young charge. "Remus is here again. I'll bet he'd like to eat breakfast with us. How's that sound?"

The distraction worked. "Oh yes, s- I mean Sirius!"

"All right, then. Let's go," Sirius said as he clambered out of the bed and pulled Harry onto his hip. The two of them headed downstairs to the kitchen, where Remus Lupin was waiting for them, reading _The Daily Prophet_.

"Good morning, Harry!" Remus said with a smile.

"Dood mowrning."

"Did you sleep okay?"

"Um… yes," Harry replied. "I swept dood."

"All right, Harry, what do you want for breakfast today?" Sirius asked, depositing Harry in the chair next to Remus.

"Er… I dunno…"

"Well, we had eggs yesterday. How about we have pancakes today? Does that sound good?"

Harry nodded eagerly. Just the thought of pancakes made his little mouth water. "I never had pantates befowre."

"Oh! Well, you are in for a treat then, little one!" Sirius smiled.

Remus grinned at the two of them over his paper. Harry's innocence truly brought out the best in Sirius. The man was an excellent godfather.

When the pancakes were done, Sirius set them on the plate and placed two of them in front of Harry. He then proceeded to slather them with butter and syrup. However, Sirius handed Harry a fork too late, as the boy had all ready plunged his tiny fingers into the sweet treat of a breakfast.

"Oh, Harry!" Sirius cried, causing the little boy to drop the sticky mess back on the plate and cringe away violently.

"I-I'm s-sawy, s-sir!" Harry stammered. He climbed off the chair and curled up in a ball in the corner and started sobbing.

It took Sirius a moment to understand what had happened, but once he did he enfolded Harry in his arms in a single moment.

"It's okay Prongslet," he muttered soothingly. "I shouldn't have shouted at you. I'm not mad, pup. I just didn't want you to get all sticky."

Harry didn't say anything. He just sniffled pitifully.

"Come on, puppy," Sirius coaxed. "Let's get your hands washed, so we can finish eating breakfast."

"I-I det to f-finish d-da food?" Harry asked shocked, momentarily distracted from his distress.

"What? Oh, Harry. Of course you get to finish."

"Oh."

Sirius lifted the toddler and carried him to the sink, where he washed the sticky syrup from the boy's tiny hands. Then, he set the child down gently. Harry hung his head, still unsure about whether or not he was in trouble.

"Come on, Harry," Remus coaxed from his spot in his chair. "Why don't you come here and sit down right next to me and finish those delicious-looking pancakes?"

Harry nodded and, with one more hesitant glance at Sirius, who nodded reassuringly, he climbed back into his chair shyly.

"Thank you," Sirius mouthed to Remus when Harry's back was to him.

Remus nodded.

"Okay, Har bear, this time we're going to try eating with your fork," Sirius said, careful to keep his voice cheerful and gentle. He watched as Harry lifted the utensil and held it awkwardly before trying desperately to cut into his breakfast. After watching the pitiful scene for a moment Sirius realized that it was going nowhere.

"Harry?"

No answer. The little boy was intensely concentrating on the difficult task in front of him. His face was screwed up in determination.

"Harry… puppy, do you want me to cut your pancakes up for you?" Sirius asked gently.

"N-no t-tank you," Harry mumbled. "I tan do it!"

"Okay…" Sirius said with amusement in his voice. He sat down across from his godson, watching the child out of the corner of his eye as he tucked into his breakfast.

Harry struggled a bit longer before heaving a great big sigh. "… I tink I need help, sir."

"Okay," said Sirius as he pulled Harry's plate toward him. "And remember, Harry, you needn't call me sir."

"Oh yeah!" Harry stated. "Sorry, Siwrius!"

"There's no need to apologize. I was just reminding you."

"Did you enjoy your dragons, cub?" Remus asked after a short silence as Sirius cut up Harry's pancakes and handed them back to the boy.

"Yethur!" Harry exclaimed around his mouthful of pancake.

"Harry," Sirius reprimanded gently. "Swallow first, and then speak, all right?"

Harry nodded, swallowed and said, "Yes sir! I mean Sirius!" Sirius nodded in acceptance with a smile.

"None of those dragons scratched you did they?" Remus asked.

"No… well one did… but it didn't hurt me none!" Harry told the werewolf, before shoveling another bite into his mouth.

"Which one scratched you?"

"Da one wif all da spikies on his back," Harry said after swallowing.

"Oh! The Horntail got you, did he?" Remus chuckled.

"Yeah! Da Hermtail!"

Sirius chuckled at the mistake, but he couldn't bring himself to correct the toddler. It was just too cute when he got the word wrong.

Harry smiled at his godfather and the man smiled back.

"Okay!" Sirius declared when the three of them had finished breakfast. "We are going to go to Diagon Alley today so we can get Harry some clothes."

"What about the overalls he was wearing yesterday?" Remus asked.

"Oh, those weren't his. Those were the overalls Lily gave to me. I just shrank them to fit him."

"Oh."

"I det to have mine own cloves?" Harry asked excited.

"Yup!" Sirius smiled. "You sure do, kiddo!"

"Tank you! Tank you! Tank you!" Harry squealed, running over to hug Sirius tightly around the legs. Sirius was startled, but he bent over to hug the child back.

"Come on! Let's go get dressed and then we can head out," Sirius said. He picked Harry up and carried him upstairs. He set Harry down in the toddler's bedroom. "Wait right here, okay?"

Harry nodded.

Sirius returned with a pair of jeans and a blue tee-shirt, which he shrank to Harry's size and maneuvered the boy's frail little arms and messy head into the holes.

"Oh yeah!" Sirius exclaimed. "Hey, Remus, can you come here a minute?"

Remus came up to the boy's bedroom. "What is it?"

"I forgot that Harry doesn't have any shoes. You don't happen to have a pair he can borrow do you?"

"Actually I have one extra pair. I'll be back in a moment." With that, Remus Lupin apparated with a _pop_.

"WHOA!" Harry exclaimed. "He dust disappeawred!!"

"We've done that before, Harry, remember? It was when I took you to Hogwarts after I picked you up from the Dursleys," Sirius reminded Harry.

"Oh yeah!" Harry recalled.

_Pop_! Remus was back. "Here we go." The werewolf shrunk the shoes to fit Harry and slipped them onto the boy's sock-clad feet, tying them tight.

"Okay, ready to go?" Sirius asked, holding out his hand for Harry to take. The boy complied, and the trio headed down the stairs and to the fireplace.

"Yay!" Harry said, knowing what was coming next.

"Harry likes the floo," Sirius told Remus, who nodded in understanding. Sirius lifted Harry up, and they whisked away to Diagon Alley. Remus followed behind them.

Once the three touched down at the Leaky Cauldron, they immediately drew a lot of attention. The trip through the floo had upset Harry's hair even more than usual, and one of the women in the pub noticed his scar. The whole place instantly broke into a frenzy. Echoes of "He's so adorable!" and "I can't believe I just met the boy-who-lived!" and "I always said Sirius would never betray the Potters like that!" followed the three out of the tavern, where Sirius quickly tapped the bricks to get into Diagon Alley.

The second the bricks began to move Harry's eyes grew wide with excitement, but when they stilled revealing the busy street, his eyes looked like they might pop out of their sockets. They headed straight to Madame Malkin's where Harry was fitted for both muggle and wizard clothing. When they left the shop, they carried four bags full of formal, play, school, and night clothes. Next on the list was the shoe shop, where they bought three pairs of shoes, formal, school, and play shoes. Harry was showering his two companions with thanks, which was met with nothing smiles and repetitions of 'No problem, kiddo'.

Was this what it felt like to have a family and be loved?

They stopped off for lunch and ice cream before Sirius decided he would tell Harry about his plan to take the boy to the doctor. He had put it off, assuming he would have to battle Harry all the way there.

"Harry?" Sirius said as he paid for the three ice creams.

"Huh?" Harry replied, cocking his head to the side in curiosity.

"Puppy… I'm going to have to take you to the healer today, too, okay?"

"Otay," Harry replied calmly. He had never been to a healer before.

"Oh… er… okay then," Sirius said, taken off guard.

"Is it bad?" Harry asked, sensing his godfather's apprehension, which in turn caused him to worry.

"No," Sirius replied. "I was just expecting a different reaction." He smiled at Harry. Harry grinned back bemusedly.

Suddenly Remus grabbed Harry from behind and swung him in the air before placing the boy on his hip. At first, Harry was startled, but then he giggled when he realized Remus wasn't intending to hurt him.

Sirius and Harry sat in the waiting room of St. Mungo's. Remus had whispered that this was something Sirius needed to do on his own and bid the two of them 'so long'. Harry swung his feet back and forth anxiously as he waited to be called into the Healer's office. Sirius was pretending to look at a magazine when he was actually watching Harry out of the corner of his eye. The little boy's reaction to having to go in for a check-up was nothing like how Sirius thought it would be. He expected to be holding the sobbing child telling him it was nothing to worry about, much like the witch across the room was doing with her flailing tot. However, Harry was sitting quite composed. The swinging of his legs was the only sign that he might be feeling a bit nervous.

"Harry Potter!" a young witch holding a clipboard called out into the waiting room. Many people turned toward the pair that stood.

Sirius took Harry's hand, ignoring all the whispers, and led him into the office. The young witch, whose nametag read Jenna, looked over Harry quickly while asking Sirius a number of questions over the child's history.

"That will do for now. Healer Cerwyn Irving will be here in a moment to give you the thorough check-up, okay, sweetie?" Jenna told Harry, with a smile. She left, closing the door behind her.

"You doing okay, Har bear?" Sirius asked.

"Uh-huh," Harry replied, nodding. "How tum she puted dat stick on mine tongue?"

"She was pushing your tongue down so that she could look at your throat."

"Oh!"

Just then the door opened and in walked a beautiful witch with dark brown hair and ocean- blue eyes. "Hello, Harry," she said, smiling genuinely. "I'm Healer Cerwyn. How are you feeling today?"

"Um… dood, ma'am… how's you feeling?" Harry asked confused, but still trying to be polite.

"I'm doing quite well, thank you," she chuckled. "And you are?" she asked looking at Sirius.

"I'm Sirius Black, Harry's godfather," Sirius replied smiling back.

"Am I to assume that since you're the one taking him to see me that you're not the one who has done this to him then?" the Healer asked.

"No, that would be his aunt and uncle in Surrey. I picked him up the night before last."

"Oh, good, because I really didn't want to have to get Wizard Children's Needs down here. That's always such a pain!"

"Nope no need," Sirius smiled.

"Okay, Harry, I need you and your godfather to go in the other room there and let him help you take your clothes off and put this hospital gown," Cerwyn said gently.

Harry looked at Sirius, who nodded. "O-otay." He scurried off with Sirius on his tail. When they returned Harry was in the gown, that he practically swam in. Cerwyn lifted Harry up and sat him on the examination table.

"Good," she replied. Then she turned to Harry. "All right, Harry, can you tell me how old you are?"

"Free!" Harry said holding up three tiny fingers. Cerwyn began her inspection.

"Good!" Cerwyn replied. She continued to poke and prod at him "Do you know when your birthday is?"

"Da turty-furst in July."

"Good job! Lie down now on your tummy, sweetheart" Cerwyn said softly. Harry did as he was told and the healer lifted his gown to reveal his rear. "Now Harry can you tell me how you got all the bruises and scars on your bottom?" Harry bit his lip, hesitantly.

"I d-dunno if I tan."

"Why not, love?"

"'Tause I'll det in twouble."

"No you won't, kiddo," Sirius said reassuringly form the corner. "Remember, I told you that we have different rules than your aunt and uncle."

"Oh yeah," Harry said breathily.

"So do you think you can tell me now?" Cerwyn said sweetly.

"Yes, ma'am. It was fwom Uncle Vewrnon," Harry explained. "He used ta det rweally mad and whop me!"

"I see," Cerwyn replied, trying to disguise the anger in her tone. "Here, sit up, honey." She righted Harry's gown and helped him sit upright. "And did your uncle limit your food intake?"

"Uh… huh?" Harry said. "What does wimit food innit mean?"

"Did he ever not let you eat?"

"Oh, yes," Harry replied. "A wot."

"I see that," she said. She was still smiling but her tone was a bit harsher. She waved her wand over Harry for a quick diagnostic charm. She sighed. "Harry, I need you to drink a few things for me. They're going to make you feel better."

"Otay," Harry replied. She summoned three vials and handed the first one to Harry, who drank it down. Then, the second and then the third. Harry's only complaint was the awful face he made afterwards.

"Well done!" the witch said approvingly. She then turned to Sirius and instructed him to give Harry two nutrition potions a day; one in the morning and one at night. Sirius agreed whole heartedly. "Harry will need to come see me again in about a month so I can check on his progress. But, other than that, sweetie, just make sure you eat as much as you can at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, okay?"

"Otay!" Harry nodded.

"Oh! And rub this salve on his bruises and welts tonight. They should clear up by tomorrow afternoon," she added to Sirius. "All right, I think we're done here! Harry, here's a lolly for being such a good boy today."

"Tank you!" Harry exclaimed accepting the candy with a shocked look on his face.

"Okay, kiddo, let's go home," Sirius said gently, lifting Harry off the table. "Thank you, Healer Irving." He shook the woman's hand, and she smiled.

"See you in month!"

A/N: Once again I'm sooo sorry about the wait!! I hoped you liked it! At least it was long right?! R&R! Pwease?


	6. Potatoes and Nighttime Chats

DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything related to Harry Potter. I do not receive profit for this piece of writing. I write this purely for the joy of writing. All familiar characters/creatures are owned by J.K. Rowling and her publishing company. I do not wish to offend any person with this piece. Thank you.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Did you like the very formal disclaimer? I sure did! Any way I hope that this chapter is to your liking!! Thank you so much for all the reviews! And once again everyone thank JadeSullivan for graciously agreeing to be my beta! On with the story!

Chapter Six: Potatoes and Night-time chats

Sirius sat in the living room thinking over the events of the day. He vaguely wondered if his tiny godson was still asleep or not. The toddler had been up in his room for a good two hours after they got home. Harry had fallen asleep during their train ride home. Sirius decided that Harry should be used to traveling in both the muggle and wizarding way. It was important that Harry not become too reliant on magic. When they finally arrived back at their little cottage, Sirius had carried Harry upstairs and tucked him into bed, leaving the door cracked so the boy could call if he needed anything. Suddenly, a groggy voice called from the stairway.

"Siwrius?" Harry called out.

"I'm here, Har bear," Sirius called back. An instant later, the sound of Harry shuffling down the stairs filled Sirius's ears and the man smiled.

"Whatcha doin'" Harry mumbled blearily once he had entered the living room.

"I was just sitting here thinking about you and waiting for you to finish your nap."

"Oh." Harry rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, while he yawned hugely.

"Come here, Prongslet," Sirius said, opening his arms so that Harry could climb up onto his lap. Harry came over and allowed himself to be picked up. As he snuggled in his godfather's arms, Sirius kissed Harry's wild black hair. "Did you have a good nap?" he whispered into the boy's ear.

"Uh huh," Harry mumbled back. He nuzzled his face into his godfather's chest.

"Are you hungry?" Sirius asked after the two of them had been sitting quietly on the couch for a good five minutes or so. "It's about time for dinner."

"Otay," Harry replied quietly, obviously still sleepy.

"I was thinking that we might try some steak and potatoes. How does that sound?" Sirius asked, tilting his head to see Harry's face.

"Dat sounds dood!" Harry said nodding.

"I thought you might feel that way," Sirius replied chuckling.

Sirius hoisted himself up and set Harry on his feet as he headed toward the kitchen. Harry followed close behind. The tot traced delicately along the wood grain of the table as he watched his godfather busy himself about the kitchen. The man grabbed all the food he needed to make the delicious meal. Harry looked around the kitchen and suddenly felt a little left out. He walked up to his godfather and tugged on the man's pant leg.

"Sirius?"

"Yeah, kiddo?" Sirius replied, questioningly. Harry looked a little bit upset.

"Tan I help? Pwease? I won't do nothin' bad! Pwomise!" Harry stated quietly, still unsure of his ability to ask questions freely.

Sirius thought for a moment. "Yeah okay, kiddo. Do you want to stir the mashed potatoes?"

"Yes!"

Sirius handed Harry a wooden spoon and the bowl of potato flakes and milk. Harry, determined to make Sirius proud, began stirring the two together carefully. Sirius smirked at the intense look on Harry's face. The boy looked up at his ginning godfather and cocked his head in confusion. Sirius pulled a grave expression and cocked his head as well, mocking the child. Harry tried to quiet his giggles, but found it nearly impossible. He laughed. Sirius chuckled right along with him and Harry soon found that cooking didn't always have to be a chore. It can be fun too.

Harry continued to giggle while he mixed the potatoes. After a while the concoction began to thicken and it was harder for little Harry to stir. Suddenly, his hand slipped and smacked right into the mashed potatoes. He was in for it now, and he knew it. Sirius raised his hand and Harry cringed, waiting for a smack for upsetting the food. Then he felt his hand being pulled on. Harry looked up as Sirius plucked Harry's hand out of the mashed potatoes and too his lips. Sirius kissed Harry's tiny hand and nibbled playfully at them before bringing the toddler to the sink and rinsing his hands off. Harry was shocked. He hadn't even received a scolding. The man smiled down at him and Harry smiled back. He had a family!

Together the two of them had dinner ready in thirty minutes. Sirius cut a small portion of steak up for Harry and gave him a dab of mashed potatoes and glass of milk. He wanted to start small so Harry didn't overdo it and make himself sick. He made a plate for himself and set the two plates on the table, giving Harry permission to tuck in.

"Finish this first and if you're still hungry after, you can have more, okay?" Sirius told Harry. "And don't forget to use your fork."

"Otay," Harry agreed as he lifted the fork, determined to show Sirius that he could follow directions.

Sirius smile approvingly as Harry lifted the fork in his tiny hand. _Maybe I should get him some forks that are his size, so he can learn to control it better,_ he thought. He reached across the table and ruffled the little boy's hair fondly. Harry giggled.

The rest of dinner passed without consequence. Afterwards, Sirius gave Harry his nourishment potion, rubbed the salve on his wounds, and had the boy pick out a book they had gotten in town. The boy rushed to comply. It was during the toddler's brief absence that Remus fire-called.

"Oh! Hey!" Sirius cried. "You nearly scared me out of my wits!"

"Sorry, I was just wondering how the healer visit went," Remus replied, biting his lip in an amused way at startling his best friend. Just then Harry came back into the room, carrying a book on dragons.

"Why don't you ask Harry," Sirius said. "Harry, Remus wa – "

"AH!" Harry screamed, terrified. "Sirius, det him out!" The boy began to sob loudly in fright. "Det him out!"

"Harry," Sirius soothed. "Calm down, Prongslet. The fire isn't hurting Remus."

"What?" Harry sniffled, confused. Sirius gathered Harry into his arms, cradling him.

"You know how we go through the floo?" Sirius asked. Harry nodded. "It's just like that, but instead of going all the way into it, Remus just put his head through."

"Rweally?" Harry asked wiping his eyes. "He's not detting hurt?"

"Nope," Remus said from the fire place. "Not one bit, but I'm sorry I scared you, cub."

"It's otay."

"I just wanted to ask you how your healer visit went this afternoon."

"It was dood!" Harry told his honorary uncle. "I even dot a lowy fowr bein' dood!"

"Really?" Remus said smiling. "Good boy!"

"Tank you, sir," Harry replied smiling back sheepishly.

"I'll fire-call you later, Remus, I promised Harry a story and it's almost time for him to go to bed," Sirius said to Remus with a look that clearly showed that they had much more to discuss. Remus nodded and bid Harry goodnight.

Sirius and Harry watched as Remus disappeared through the fireplace and the emerald flames turned crimson again. Sirius opened the picture book of dragons that Harry had picked out, and by the third page, Harry had fallen asleep in his godfather's arms. Carrying Harry up the stairs, Sirius threw back Harry's covers and laid the boy gently in his bed before tucking his blankets around him and planting a kiss against his warm forehead.

"Goodnight, Harry," he whispered he slipped through the open door, leaving it cracked like always. Then, he headed down the stairs to fire-call Remus.

"Hey!" Remus said in greeting as his friend's head appeared in his hearth.

"Hi," Sirius replied. "I just need to talk to you about the healer visit."

"Why? Is something wrong with Harry?" Remus asked, suddenly worried.

"Well no," Sirius replied. "Not really. I mean it's nothing _too_ terribly serious. I just found out the extent of what those muggles did to him. That's all."

"How bad is it?"

"Well they didn't feed him very well and he had terrible cuts and bruises on him, especially his backside."

"Well, when are you putting them to justice?" Remus asked.

"After what I saw today, as soon as possible!" Sirius told his friend.

"Good. They should pay for what they've done!" Remus replied. "They should consider themselves lucky. If James and Lily were here those muggles would be dead by now, or worse."

"I've failed them, haven't I?" Sirius said miserably. "I promised to keep their son safe no matter what. And I couldn't even do that!"

"No. Sirius, this isn't your fault. What could you possibly have done? You were in Azkaban! There is no one to blame but those blasted muggles," Remus told his friend sternly.

"You're right," Sirius sighed. "As always."

"Well it's been a long day," Remus said smiling. "You should get some sleep, and we can discuss the proper course of action in the morning."

"Yeah… okay," Sirius replied. "I'll talk to you tomorrow, Moony."

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Sirius pulled his head back through the grate and sighed deeply. It had been a long day. However, he knew that tomorrow would be an even _longer_ day. Tomorrow he would have to visit the Dursleys. And he would definitely have to bring someone with him to keep him from murdering the family. Then again, he would also have to find someone to look after Harry while he was gone. Remus would probably come with him to see the muggles, so who would watch Harry? Dumbledore maybe? Well, who's to say the old coot has time to watch a three year old. This was going to be harder than he thought. A little voice broke through his ponderings.

"S-Sirius?" the little green-eyed toddler whimpered from the doorway.

"Harry?" Sirius questioned gently. He noticed the child had been crying. "What's the matter? Why are you crying?"

"I-I h-had a b-bad d-dweam…" the boy sputtered, a new wave of tears spilling from his lids.

"Come here, Prongslet," Sirius murmured, opening his arms. Harry shuffled sleepily into his godfather's embrace. "What was your dream about?" the man asked once they curled up onto the couch.

"Uncle Vewrnon…" the boy mumbled back. "He was yellin' at me fowr burnin' da bweakfass…"

"Okay, well there's no need to be scared," Sirius softly whispered. "Your uncle isn't here. He'll never hurt you again. I promise."

"O-o-otay…" Harry replied trying to stifle his yawn unsuccessfully.

Sirius began to run his fingers through Harry's thick, unruly hair as the toddler drifted back to sleep. Sirius then lifted the child gently and carried the boy to his room. He started to lay the boy into the toddler bed when Harry opened his eyes suddenly and grabbed on tightly to Sirius.

"N-no!" Harry cried, frightened.

"Harry, you need to go to bed, pup," Sirius whispered gently.

"Wanna stay wif you," Harry sniffled, groggily.

"Okay, I'll let you sleep in my room with me tonight. Is that okay?"

"Uh-huh…"

Sirius lifted the boy back up and smiled at down at his little squirmer in dragon pajamas. He walked down the hall and into his own room, where he transfigured his clothes into pajamas and curled up into the bed with his tiny godson.

Harry was asleep in minutes.

A/N: Okay, it wasn't as long but it came sooner right? I think I'm going to have the Dursleys in the next chapter! Woo Hoo! It's time for some serious Sirius-butt-kickin' session!! I have a feeling that Remus is going to have some trouble stepping in… Dun, dun, DUN!! R&R pwease!


	7. Serious Sirius ButtKicking Action

DISCLAIMER: _**I DON'T OWN HARRY POTTER!! DUH!!**_ You all can take a collective breath at the devastating news I'm sure… Lol.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm really sorry about the wait. My laptop died like a day after I posted the last chapter and I was unable to get this chapter done… However, I had the chance to post a new chapter on Harry Potter and the Much Needed Family!! So that was good! Anyway I hope you guys like this chapter because Sirius is going kick the Dursleys from here to Timbuktu! YAY!

Chapter Seven: Serious Sirius Butt-kicking Action Begins!

Sirius stood outside the Dursley's house with Remus at his side; a scruffy barn owl was perched on the werewolf's shoulder. He had gotten his young cousin, Nymphadora Tonks, to watch over little Harry. She seemed more than pleased to take the job. Presently the man found himself drawing in deep breaths, trying desperately to calm himself before meeting with these horrid muggles. Remus placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Just don't let me do anything illegal to them, okay?" Sirius said faintly.

"I won't, don't worry," Remus replied, smiling reassuringly at his childhood friend.

Sirius raised his fist and rapped firmly on the front door of the quaint little home. A boy, if that's what one would call it (the kid looked more like a whale to Sirius), answered the door. Sirius then realized that the whale of a boy was actually the Dursley child, Dudley. It had been hard to tell at first since the boy was nearly covered in what looked like chocolate.

"What you want, huh?" he demanded.

"We're looking for your parents. We have a few things to discuss with them," Sirius informed the ghastly child.

"Mummy! There's two mans at the door!" he shouted, running off through the house wildly. Sirius suddenly felt relieved that Harry didn't behave so abominably. He didn't think he would be able to handle it.

"Okay, Diddy-kins, Mummy's coming, lovey," a woman cooed, strolling casually to the door. Her eyes popped at the sight of the two men in the doorway. "Y-you're that m-man that c-came f-for L-Lily's b-boy!"

"Indeed," Sirius replied frostily. He glared at Petunia Dursley as if she was the worst thing to have ever entered the world. "_Lily's boy_, as you called him, is exactly why we're here. We need to talk to you and your husband."

"W-well V-Vernon is o-off at the g-grocer's at the m-moment," Petunia stammered fearfully. Her beady eyes darted around desperately like a mouse trying to find an escape route.

"Not to worry, ma'am," Remus said with a more intimidating smile than comforting. "We can wait."

The two of them forced their way into the home. Petunia, too afraid to actually say anything, pulled one of her famous sour looks, eyeing the owl with disgust. She looked like a very animated, disgruntled horse.

_I wonder how badly I can scare her without giving her heart attack…_ Sirius mused. Remus, however, was deliberating the chances of getting away with attacking the Dursleys on a full moon as long as he made it look like an accident.

"C-can I-I g-get y-you s-some t-tea," Petunia spluttered, her voice abnormally high and squeaky. Sirius found himself doubting that she was really asking out of hospitality.

_Probably afraid of what we'll do to her if she's not nice, _Sirius thought sourly.

"I'd love some," Remus replied, straining to keep his voice cheerful.

"One for me too," Sirius said, not even bothering to watch his tone, letting the words spew from behind his clenched teeth. Catching the acid in Sirius' tone, Petunia gave a little squeak of agreement and ran off into the kitchen.

Sirius and Remus sat stiffly in the living room, where Dudley was watching the television at an obnoxiously loud volume. The two men paid it no mind though as they were simply trying to control their tempers in order to keep from mutilating the Muggle family. Sirius found the hundreds of pictures of Dudley very unnerving. Not to mention the fact that he couldn't find a single frame with Harry's smiling face behind the glass. As a matter of fact, there wasn't even any sign that the child had lived there only two days ago. He seriously doubted that any of the toys that littered the floor had ever been his godson's. He could smell the pungent scent of house cleaner, and it made him restless and irritable as if he was in a sanitation cell. The spotless shine of the linoleum and the dirt-free carpet was unnaturally creepy. He vaguely wondered how many times his tiny godson had been forced on his hands and knees to clean those spotless floors. And he was willing to bet that little _Diddy-kins_, stuffing his face on the floor, had never even been asked to check to the mail.

Meanwhile back at the Padfoot Residence, Harry was trying to decide if he liked Miss Tonks. He wasn't sure if she wanted to be called Miss Tonks, but he thought he should say it to be polite anyway. She seemed nice enough. She talked kindly and ruffled his hair, but she wasn't Sirius.

He missed Sirius very much. And Harry knew that he wouldn't be allowed to be with Sirius every minute of the day, but when the man went away it made Harry upset. He had almost cried when Sirius told him that he would be leaving Harry in the morning, but he managed to keep from doing so with the promise of his return later that day.

Besides, Miss Tonks wasn't all that bad. She had made him grilled cheese for lunch and even played tag outside with him. And even now as he was tucked into bed for a nap, she was reading to him from one of the books Sirius had bought him.

She wasn't Sirius, but she was still good. _Yeah… Still good… _Harry decided as he closed his eyes and allowed sleep to claim him.

"Petunia! I'm back! I got those biscuits you said you liked. And got some more chocolate treats for Dud-" Vernon stopped short when he noticed the two men sitting rigidly on his sofa in the family room. "What the hell are you doing here? If you're trying to return the little freak I won't allow it! That twerp was a thorn in my side! It was good riddance when you lot took-" Vernon wasn't able to finish for Sirius's fist had collided with his beefy left cheek, sending him tumbling in a heap on the floor. Dudley squealed like the pig he was and fled to the corner while Petunia shuffled frantically into the room, placing herself in front of her lump of a son.

"How DARE you!" Sirius roared. He was beyond livid. "YOU EVIL SCATHING MONSTER! YOU SHOULD HAVE CONSIDERED YOURSELF LUCKY TO HAVE THE BLESSING TO RAISE SUCH A WONDERFUL CHILD! INSTEAD YOU BEAT HIM! HARRY DESERVED SO MUCH BETTER THAN YOUR FAMILY, YOU FILTHY ROTTEN BASTARD!

"AND YOU!" Sirius rounded on Petunia who squeaked in reply. "HARRY IS LILY'S SON! YOUR OWN FLESH AND BLOOD! HOW COULD YOU SIT BY AND LET HIM SUFFER? YOU KNOW IF LILY HAD BEEN IN YOUR SHOES AND HAD TO TAKE _YOUR_ SON, SHE WOULD HAVE RAISED HIM AS HER OWN, WITH LOVE AND AFFECTION! HOW COULD YOU?"

"NOW WAIT JUST A MOMENT, SIR!" Vernon interrupted, finally righting himself and gaining the courage to speak up. "WE NEVER SAID WE WANTED THE BOY! PETUNIA'S SISTER HADN'T EVEN CONTACTED US IN THREE YEARS BEFORE HE WAS DUMPED ON OUR DOOR STEP! WE NEVER WANTED YOUR LOT'S NONSENSE TO INFERFERE WITH OUR LIFE! I KNEW HE WOULD BE THE SAME AS HIS WRETCHED PARENTS! I SWORE I'D BEAT THE ABNORMALITY OUT OF HIM, IF IT WAS THE LAST THING I'D EVER DO!"

"That's quite enough!" Remus ordered as Sirius opened his mouth to spit out his next reply. "I care not what your intentions were, Dursley. The fact of the matter remains thus, you _beat_ a child! A _three-year-old toddler_ was beaten at your hand. Now, _our lot_, as you refer to us as, does not take kindly to abuse from the hands of _your lot_ inflicted on one of our own. So, that brings us precisely to the topic we came to discuss with you. We, meaning Sirius and I, are pressing charges against you and your wife in terms of severe child neglect and abuse on Harry Potter."

"And you expect me to accept these terms?" Vernon spat through clenched teeth.

"Not in the least, but nonetheless we must inform you first, according to our laws," Remus replied. He was having a hard time controlling the animalistic part of him, and he was sure his golden eyes were flashing dangerously.

Vernon seemed to have noticed their feral flash, because he immediately began to splutter in protest. However, he was immediately cut off by Remus: "We have the paperwork here for you. Read and sign them and send them with the owl." He gestured to the barn owl that had taken refuge on the mantel during the commotion. "And now we will take our leave. Let's go, Sirius."

Sirius glared at Dursley with a look that should have struck him dead on sight. "This isn't over Dursley," he growled, low, but for some reason it was more menacing than when he had been yelling. "You're lucky I didn't curse you right here and now. When this is all over, I will make sure you have suffered as much as Harry has." And with that Sirius swept out the front door after Remus.

The two of them walked down the street toward the Apparition site for a while before Remus turned to Sirius. "Are you okay?" he questioned.

"No," Sirius replied truthfully. "I wanted to mutilate them!"

"I know," Remus replied sympathetically. "Me too."

"I hope he gets at least seven years in Azkaban!" Sirius said. "Her too!"

"Me too," Remus replied. "But we have to be patient and wait it out."

"I know," Sirius sighed. "You're right… It's just when he was talking about Harry like that… I just… I don't know. I just snapped."

"It's okay. The hard part is over. Now, all we have to do is convince the court. But with all the evidence, that should be no problem."

"Yeah," Sirius said, taking a deep breath. "Let's go home!" With that the two of them Apparated back to the cottage to find Tonks and Harry on the living room floor reading.

Tonks looked up. "Oh hey!" she said. "You should see this! This kid's a genius!"

"Sirwius!" Harry squealed, running over to his godfather and hugging him tight. "You'wre back!"

"Hey, kiddo," Sirius chuckled. "Did you have a good time?"

"Uh huh!"

"I'm not kidding, Siri," Tonks said. "Your kid's a genius!"

"What are you talking about?" asked Sirius, laughing.

"I'll show you. Harry?"

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you read this to Sirius?"

"Otay!" Harry hurried forward and took the children's book from Tonks' hands. He then pulled Sirius over to the couch and crawled up onto his lap, opening the book. Remus and Tonks followed. Harry began reading:

"Once opun a time, der was a pwetty wittle witch named Clawa. She wuved to sing and sing awll day. She pwayed wif da bwack cats. And she pwayed wif da gween fwogs. And she pwayed wif da bwue burds. But most of awll she wiked to play wif da beautifuwl butturfwies!"

As Harry leaned against Sirius' chest, he proceeded to read the story of Clara the witch from start to finish. When he turned to the final page, Harry inhaled deeply in excitement and squirmed around on his godfather's lap before exclaiming:

" And Clawa was awways tankful even wen it wained! Da End!"

Sirius was in shock.

"Now, Harry?" Tonks said.

"Yeah?"

"What was that story about?"

"Wewl it was about a wittle witch named Clawa. She wuved pwaying wif da butturfwies. But wen it wained and dey went away she cwied. Da dood faiwy made it sunny fowrever as wong as Clawa dinnit cwy. Da butturfwies tame back. But den da feeld died wif no wain and da butturfwies left adain. And Clawa cwied. Da dood faiwy tame back and made it wain adain as wong as Clawa would be tankful fowr wat she had. And Clawa did… And den dat was da end…" Harry looked around at all the shocked faces in the room. "What?"

"Harry," Sirius tried, but it sounded more like a squeak. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Harry?"

"Huh?"

"Who taught you to read?"

"I teached mine self."

"How?"

"I dunno?" Harry replied. "I dust did."

"Harry?" Remus cut in.

"Yeah?"

"What's two plus two?"

"Fowr!" Harry replied automatically.

"Okay…" Remus said. "What ten plus eight-teen?'

"Umm… twenny-eight."

"Did you teach yourself math too?" Sirius asked.

"Uh-huh," Harry replied. "Is dat bad?"

"No!" All three shouted, causing Harry to jump, startled.

"Sorry, Prongslet. We didn't mean to startle you, but this is very, very good!" Sirius told the toddler gently.

"It is?"

"Oh yeah!" Sirius said smiling proudly. He hugged the boy to him and nipped at his neck to tickle him. "You're so smart!" Harry was sent into a peal of giggles as his godfather tickled him. The three adults were happy to hear Harry's joy, but they also realized that there was a lot more to the toddler than they originally thought.

A/N: Oh my gosh I'm so sorry about the wait!! But like I said before it really wasn't my fault!! Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter! You finally get to see a glimpse of how Harry is a tad bit different from other children is age! I mean what three-year-old do _you_ know that can read a whole book and add? If you have prodigy as a three-year-old don't answer that question! Lol! Anyway, I finally got my laptop back so hopefully we won't have anymore problems with it! On a lighter note though.. I got a new cell phone!! Lol. Not that you all would care, but… yeah…. R&R


	8. Falling and a Trial

DISCLAIMER: Okay if you haven't figured this out yet, you haven't been paying attention AT ALL!!! I. Don't. Own. Harry. Potter. J.K. Rowling. Does.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay so I really don't have a good excuse for the wait except for the fact that I have had the BIGGEST writer's block EVER!!! It was so awful I couldn't make myself just sit and type. So, sorry I hope you like the eighth chapter.

Chapter Eight: Falling and a Trial

Sirius woke up Saturday morning to sound of squeals coming from his godson's room. And on instinct, the man was in the room within a matter of seconds, only to find Remus standing over Harry tickling him mercilessly, while his godson squirmed and shouted out peals of laughter. Sirius let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and smiled, leaning up against the doorway.

"Oh!" Remus said looking up. "Hey! You're up I see."

"Yeah, now," Sirius replied with a smirk.

"Oh… sawy Siwrius! Did we wakes you up?" Harry asked hanging his head guiltily.

"Yes you did!" Sirius chuckled. "And do you know what we do to little boys that wake me up?"

"N-no… w-what?" Harry stammered eyes wide.

"We GOBBLE THEM UP!" Sirius shouted gathering Harry in his arms and pretending to eat him. Harry's shock quickly turned to laughter as his godfather nipped and nuzzled him. He squirmed and squealed, in attempts to get away from man that was trying to "gobble him down!"

He finally wiggled free and raced down the hall, looking over his shoulder. He grinned when he noticed his godfather hadn't come out of the bedroom yet. Suddenly there was no longer any floor under his feet and found himself tumbling down the stairs. With a loud "bang" Harry landed at the bottom. Tears sprang instantly to his eyes.

"Harry!?" Sirius rushed out of the bedroom and down the hall to find his godson in heap at the bottom of the stairs. The little boy was sobbing. He came to the child's side in an instant, gathering him up into his arms. They only had about five stairs total, but there was no doubt in Sirius's mind that falling down them, especially at three, would be extremely painful. He assessed the situation silently; not wanting to make Harry any more frightened, and came to the relieving conclusion that there were no broken bones. "Sh… Harry… It's okay… Calm down."

"It h-hurts…" Harry sobbed miserably. By this time Remus had entered the room and put two and two together and sat quietly to watch Sirius soothe his tiny godson. He would jump in if he was needed, but for now he would sit silently.

Sirius gently deposited the weeping toddler on to the counter. "All right, Harry, tell me where it hurts," he said in a sympathetic voice. The little boy pointed at his right shin, sniffling.

"Okay let's have a look," Sirius said lifting the pant leg of the red pajama bottoms. "Oo yeah it looks like you've got a nasty little bruise there. Don't you worry though I'll get rid of it right away." Sirius bent close and kissed it, (inconspicuously flicking his wand) and the bruise vanished. He repeated this to the other various places Harry pointed to. "All better?"

Harry nodded, "Y-yes siwr. I'm sawry."He drew in a ragged breath and wiped away a tear roughly.

"For Har-bear?"

"Cwyin'."

"Oh, Har," Sirius replied. "You don't need to be sorry about that. I'm sure that really hurt. You had every right to cry. I know I would have!"

"Nuh-uh!" Harry disagreed. "I not ever cwy! I tant! Not lowed!"

"Well in this house you can! We all can." Sirius informed him. "Isn't that right, Moony?" he called over his shoulder.

"Oh yes!" Remus agreed, smirking. "You should hear all the weeping and sniveling your old godfather does in this house."

"Hey!" Sirius replied, emulating hurt. Normally he would have told Remus to mind his attitude in his house, but one glance at Harry stifling his giggles made the comment worth it. He brushed Harry's fringe back from his face. "Try to be more careful around the stairs, okay?"

Harry bit his lip sheepishly and nodded, "Kay!"

"How about some breakfast?" Sirius chirped.

"_Finally!_" Remus teased.

"Oh hush, Moony!"

That afternoon, Harry, Sirius, and Remus all sat in the living room. Harry was playing with his Dragon Set, while Remus and Sirius watched over him through their discussion. They didn't bring up anything important, just merely chatted, and Sirius couldn't help but think that maybe they were going to be okay. Together, they could make it.

Suddenly, the floo flared up and in walked Albus Dumbledore.

"Headmaster!" Sirius exclaimed in surprise. "What's going on? Why are you here? Is something wrong? Is Harry in danger? Is –"

"Sirius!" Dumbledore declared, holding up a withered hand to silence him. "Everything is fine, just fine. I merely came to tell you the date of the trial."

"Oh… well…" Sirius replied sheepishly.

"The trial will be held in three day's time." Dumbledore informed them. "Sirius, you and Harry will both need to be present."

"We will be, Headmaster," Sirius answered. "But you don't think they're going to make Harry testify do you?"

"No," Dumbledore said with a sympathetic smile. "They may ask to view a memory but Harry should not have to speak of his time with them."

"Good. Thank you."

"It is nothing, my friend. However, I have much to do today so must be off. Good bye, Sirius. Harry. Remus." Sirius and Remus nodded to the man in farewell, while Harry muttered a shy, "bye."

Once the Headmaster had disappeared through the floo, Harry turned to his godfather and asked, "Wats a twial?"

"A trial is where people, who have done something very wrong, go to find out what their punishment will be."

"Wat d-did I-I d-do w-wong?" Harry stammered around a fresh wave of tears.

"What?" Sirius exclaimed, shocked. "Why would you think you did something wrong?"

"Betause I has a twial."

"Oh, Harry. _You_ don't have a trial. The Dursley's do."

"W-Wat?" Harry sniffled.

"That's right!" Sirius smiled. "They are getting into some serious (a/n: no pun intended! I SWEAR!) trouble for what they did to you when you lived with them."

"Oh," Harry mumbled, rubbing his tears away with the back of his hand. Sirius pulled Harry's hand away from his face and gently brushed the tears from Harry's face himself.

A/N: I know it's short! I'm SORRY!! T.T


	9. The Trial of the Dursleys

DISCLAIMER: This is not mine… It is JK Rowling's. Thank you.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: All I can say is I AM SOOOOO SORRY!! I know you guys must hate me! I hit the biggest writer's block and I just couldn't write ANYTHING!! So if anyone is still reading this story I hope you can forgive me! Enjoy Chapter Nine!

Chapter Nine: The Trial of the Dursleys

Sirius Black, while being fiercely loyal, had never been known to be the sensitive type. In fact most of his past girlfriends would claim that he was a heartless worm that had no compassion for others. However, when it came to his godson, Sirius Black could turn to a ball of sensitive, mushy putty. He sat gazing at Harry's tiny head poking out of the top of the blankets as the toddler slept. He was at a completely loss as to how the Dursleys could have hurt him. Harry was just too precious and the thought of anyone having the heart to hurt him was utterly foreign in Sirius' opinion.

The afternoon sun peeped through the curtains in Harry's room as the child was having his afternoon nap. Sirius couldn't believe that Harry had no idea what a nap was. The boy seemed to think the very idea of sleeping during the day to be completely mind-boggling. It had taken Sirius nearly an hour to explain to Harry the importance of having the nap. Harry still hadn't understood, but agreed to take one regardless. The boy was just too obedient. Well, Sirius could easily break him of that. Harry would turn out to be a proper marauder in no time at all.

Then Sirius' mind wanders to the trial tomorrow. He was worried about going to it. He didn't know how he was going to be able to face those monsters. Not to mention how worried was about how Harry would take it. Not well, Sirius guessed. He just hoped it wouldn't be too stressful for the youngster. If he hated anything, it was to see that little boy upset about anything. It just seemed to cleave his heart in two and he became sensitive.

"Siwrius?" a muffled, groggy voice broke through the silence, announcing that Harry was awake.

"Hey, pup," Sirius smiled. "How'd you sleep? Okay?"

"Uh huh."

"Good. You hungry?" Sirius asked.

"A wittle."

"Okay then, let's go have tea."

"Kay!" Harry scrambled to get out of the bed sheets and Sirius chuckled at his godson's rumpled appearance.

The two of them headed downstairs to get their afternoon tea started. Sirius set out strawberry tart and hot tea out on the table in the sitting room. He placed a tart on Harry's plate and gave him some tea with milk and honey, which Harry accepted graciously. Sirius watched Harry over his own honey deluded tea, as the boy guzzled down the tart and lapped happily at his creamy, sweetened tea. Sirius never would have thought that the domestic life was for him, but as he watched his godson, he didn't think that he could have been more content.

The rest of the day passed like that, with nothing of consequence happening. Harry and Sirius had a peaceful day and before putting Harry to bed, Sirius had bathed him thoroughly for the trial in the morning. Harry fell, almost instantly, into a peaceful sleep. Sirius was envious, for he knew sleep would not be coming to him even close to the fast. He would lie awake for hours fretting the next day. He watched Harry for a moment before heading downstairs and filling a tumbler with firewhiskey. He sipped at it aimlessly for a while before deciding to fire-call Remus. The threw some floo powder into the hearth and stuck his head through.

"Remus?" he called.

"Oh, Sirius!" Remus replied appearing from the kitchen. "What brings you here?"

"Nothing much," Sirius tried to sound casual.

"Couldn't sleep, huh?" Remus asked, knowingly.

"Yeah, I just can't seem to stop thinking about the trial. What if I can't handle seeing those monsters? What if Harry can't handle it? What if it's too much for him?"

"Sirius calm down!" Remus soothed. "If worse comes to worse, you and Harry can leave the courtroom. Harry may be scared, but you'll have to be there for him to comfort him. And if you think about how Harry needs you, I think you will be able to see those monsters without doing anything drastic. This will give Harry the closure he needs. Besides those despicable beings need to be brought to justice."

Sirius would never understand how Remus always knew exactly what to say to make him feel better. He looked up at his old friend and smiled, "Thank you Remus."

"Don't mention it. Now get to bed. You'll need rest for tomorrow."

"Okay, goodnight, Moony."

"Goodnight, Padfoot."

With that, Sirius removed his head from the fireplace and headed up to bed. His worries had been nearly sedated and he could finally get some shut eye.

* * * * * * *

The next morning came too early for Sirius, but he put on a gentle smile for Harry anyway. He helped the toddler into the best outfit Sirius had bought and made sure to wash the cherubic face gently. Harry seemed to be content with his godfather and not at all worried about the trial. That was probably because the little boy had no idea what the trial would consist of Sirius concluded.

"Okay, all set?" Sirius asked Harry when they had finished breakfast. "Ready to go?"

"Uh huh!" Harry chirped, smiling up at his godfather. He took Sirius' offered hand and they walked out the front door.

"Okay, hold on tight, Harry," Sirius warned.

"Kay!"

Harry gripped his godfather's arm tightly and they apparated away. Apparation was still new to Harry, and Sirius had to steady him when they landed to keep the toddler on two feet. They were standing outside of a dreary courthouse in the middle of Wizarding London. The gray stone walls stooped over them forebodingly. Sirius hope that it wasn't foreshadowing what was to come today. However, he had a feeling that it was.

Sirius led Harry up the marble stairs and through the double doors. The marble from the stairs continued into the lobby of the courthouse and Sirius led the way to the large oak desk in the middle of the room to talk to the young woman under the information sign.

"Hello," Sirius said suavely. "I was hoping you could help us out." He jerked his head lightly at his little godson, who looked up at the woman with wide, shy emerald eyes.

"Well, aren't you just too cute!" the young woman behind the counter swooned at Harry. Then she looked up at Sirius and smiled. "What can I do you for?"

"We're here for the Black/City vs. Dursley case at eleven," Sirius informed her.

"Hmm…" the girl looked through her files. "Looks like that case will be in room 105. It will be straight down the corridor there." She pointed to the hallway to the left.

"Thank you, miss!" Sirius flashed the woman his best smile. "Come on, kiddo." Harry smiled bashfully at the woman and allowed himself to be led away. She smiled back sweetly.

"She nice!" Harry said, once they were out of ear shot.

"Yes she was," Sirius agreed, smiling gently. His mind wandered to how Harry was sure to be a heartbreaker when he grew up. With those emerald eyes and genuine sincerity, the girls wouldn't stand a chance.

Sirius opened the door to room 105 and he and Harry stepped into the court room to find many people were already there. Remus smiled at them from his seat on the left side of the room, behind the plaintiff desk. They walked over to join him.

"Hello, Harry! Padfoot," Remus greeted.

"Moony, good morning!" Sirius replied. The three sat to together and chatted lightly. Suddenly, the doors swung open and in walked the three peoples Sirius had wished he would never have to see again.

Vernon Dursley had a scowl on his face as he walked into the room with his wife and son. Petunia's beady eyes were darting around the room, as if in any given moment a ghoul was going to jump out and startle the daylights out of her. Dudley was nearly dragging his feet he was whining about how he wanted to go to the movies and he didn't want to go to this boring "meeting." All Sirius could think was how happy he was that Harry didn't act like that.

Harry stiffened next to Sirius. Why were the Dursley's here? Were they going to take him back? Did Sirius not want him anymore? Tears sprang to Harry's eyes. Sirius noticed this.

"Har-bear what's wrong?" Sirius worried.

"I'm s-sawry!" Harry sobbed.

"For what, kiddo?"

"I dunno!" the boy cried miserably.

"Why did you say sorry?"

"Cause you don't want me anymowre! Yous gonna give me back to da Duwrsleys!"

"What?" Sirius exclaimed. "No I'm not! You're never ever going back to those horrid people, Harry! They are here to get punished for what they did."

"Why?"

"Well… because what they did to you was wrong."

"Oh." Harry was still confused. No one had ever cared about what happened to him before. So, why did they care now?

* * * * * * *

The court was in session and Sirius was dreading the moment that they would call Harry up to give his memories. Harry had calmed after Sirius had explained the reason for the Dursley's being there and was now swinging his legs absent-mindedly.

"The court would like to ask Harry Potter for his memories of his time with the Dursley's, please." Sirius heard. He looked up to see the judge nod his head in approval. Harry looked up at his godfather expectantly. Sirius smiled gently and offered a hand to Harry, which the boy took. Sirius walked the boy to the front of the court room, squeezing the tiny hand comfortingly when the toddler whimpered as they passed the Dursley's. The lawyer on their side walked up with a smile. She had long dark hair that was pulled back into a clip and she had a gentle heart-shaped face. She bent down to Harry's level and looked him in the eyes.

"Hey sweetheart," she said softly. "Do you remember living with these people, over here?" She pointed to the Dursleys. Harry looked and nodded. "Do you think you could think about the way things were at their home for just a minute?"

"Otay… w-what do I tink about?"

"Well how about start with how you got this," she said pointing to a scar on Harry's collar bone.

"Um… otay," Harry closed his eyes and thought of that day. He had been cooking bacon and burned it. His uncle had gotten mad and dumped the grease on top of him. Harry had howled in pain, but his uncle had just thrown him in the cupboard. The woman put her wand to the top of his head and warned that he may feel an odd sensation and extracted the memory. They repeated the process until they had extracted at least ten memories. The lawyer placed the memories into a large pensieve that was connected to another device with a large screen. The device acted as a projector and the memories that Harry had supplied were played for all of them. Harry being thrown into the counter, left in the dark, hungry and alone, crying, smacked, whipped, and worse. Harry hid his head in his godfather's chest, and Sirius felt his heart shatter. His poor, sweet, innocent godson.

After the memories were finished, there was hardly a dry eye in the courtroom. The jury looked like it had already reached its verdict. The court went into recess as the jurors deliberated. Sirius held Harry close and rocked him slowly. Only fifteen minutes later the jury came back into the courtroom. Soon the judge was asking the jury if they had reached a verdict.

"Yes, your honor. In the case of Black/city vs. Vernon Dursley, we the jury, find the defendant guilty of all charges against him, and sentence him to seven years in muggle prison. In the case of Black/city vs. Petunia Dursley, we the jury find the defendant guilty of all charges, and sentence her to seven years in muggle prison. As for Dudley Dursley, he is to be released into city custody and will require corrective services."

"Very well," the judge replied, smacking the mallet down. "Court is adjourned!"

The Dursleys went into an uproar and tried to fight off the bailiff. That's when Sirius took Harry out of the courtroom.

"It's over Harry. They're gone. They will never hurt you again, I promise!"

A/N: Again, I am so sorry for the delay and I hope you guys liked it! Read and Review please!


	10. The Letter and Diagon Alley

DISCLAIMER: all recognizable characters and plot lines belong to J.K. Rowling. The letter is taken directly from book one!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay so here's the explanation. After the last chapter, I was unsure how to proceed with this story… Should I have Sirius and Harry all the way through Harry's childhood? Should I skip around and do little flashes of Harry's childhood? How should I continue? But I've decided that I am going to skip ahead to the day Harry gets his Hogwarts letter and then I will put little memories of Harry's childhood into the story randomly! I hope that's okay with everyone! However, that is why this story has taken so long… Sorry guys! I hope you like the chapter!

Chapter Ten: The Letter and Diagon Alley

Sirius Black sat at his kitchen table drinking coffee. It was early. The silence surrounding his home was rare and he was content to sit and let the world around him wake up. Birds were chirping outside and the sun was slowly making its way higher into the sky. Today was the day. Sirius was excited to the point of bursting, but he wasn't about to let it bubble out to the surface. He didn't want to give away the surprise. After all, his godson was highly inept to his moods. He was going to have to play it cool!

Suddenly, the kitchen door swung open and there stood a very rumpled, soon-to-be-eleven-year-old Harry Potter. He yawned widely as he walked into the kitchen toward his godfather.

"Good morning, Harry!" Sirius said brightly.

"Morning," Harry replied quietly, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

"What would you like for breakfast? Eggs and bacon or a stack of pancakes?"

Harry just stared at his godfather as if to say, "_really?"_

"Yeah I know, silly question!" Sirius responded with a chuckle as he got started on the pancakes.

Harry smiled and stretched at his seat at the table. "So what's the occasion?" Harry asked inquisitively.

"What do you mean?"

"Sirius, you know pancakes are my favorite and you usually make me pancakes on my birthday and special occasions. So, what's going on today?"

"Oh, c'mon! Can't a loving godfather make his favorite godson pancakes just because he feels like it?" Sirius asked innocently, flipping his first batch.

"I'm your only godson," Harry pointed out.

"All the more reason to make you all the pancakes your little heart desires."

"Yeah, okay…" Harry responded, still suspicious.

Sirius poured them with maple syrup and set the large batch of pancakes in front of his godson. Harry, who was still eyeing his godfather apprehensively, dug into his favorite breakfast. The maple syrup flavor touched his tongue and he smiled. Sirius made the best pancakes in the world Harry concurred.

Suddenly, an important-looking tawny owl flew into the open kitchen window and dropped a letter onto the table in front of Harry. Then the animal shook out its feathers and flew back out of the window.

"What's this?" Harry asked.

"Open it," Sirius urged, his eyes dancing excitedly as he sat across from Harry at the table.

Harry complied and began reading the letter aloud:

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_ We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary book and equipment._

_ Term begins September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Minerva McGonagall _

_Deputy Headmistress_

Harry looked up at his godfather excitedly. "I'm going to Hogwarts!" he exclaimed, clearly ecstatic. His godfather had told him all sorts of wonderful stories about the castle where wizards learned magic. His mother and father had gone there and so had Sirius and Remus. And now Harry had his turn. He was so thrilled he could barely keep it contained. He was grinning from ear to ear.

"I know!" Sirius responded, returning Harry's grin.

"Wait! You knew the letter was coming today?"

"Well of course! It comes on the same day for everyone each year!" Sirius replied.

"So that's what the pancakes were for!" Harry laughed. "I knew something was going on."

"Well it's a big day!" Sirius said sheepishly.

"It says they await my owl," Harry pointed out.

"Well, we better get on it! We've only got two weeks until the thirty-first!" Sirius replied jokingly. While Harry rolled his eyes, Sirius wrote to Hogwarts to inform them that Harry would be attending. He attached the letter to their family owl, Tory, and let the bird out the window to deliver it to Hogwarts. "Let's see the list," he said holding out his hand.

"When are we gonna go get all of this stuff?" Harry asked before taking a bite of pancake.

"Weeeelllll…." Sirius said, smirking. "I was thinking we could go today if you want!"

Harry nodded his head vigorously at the suggestion and swallowed his bite of pancake.

"Oh well… I guess you don't want to go… We'll just have to go some other time…" Sirius teased.

"No!" Harry all but shouted. "I wanna go today!"

"Oh all right!" Sirius chuckled.

"Can Ron come with us?" The Weasley's youngest son had befriended Harry when the two of them were very young and they had been best mates ever since.

"Sure! I'll floo-call Molly after breakfast, while you get ready for the day, unless of course you want to go to Diagon Alley in your PJs" Sirius said amused.

Harry rolled his eyes and began woofing down the rest of his breakfast.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Sirius exclaimed. "No need to choke! Diagon Alley will still be open if you eat your pancakes in a civilized manner, I promise."

"Okay," Harry replied sheepishly and he began eating his breakfast respectfully.

Two hours later found Sirius, Harry and not only Ron, but all the Weasleys at Diagon Alley. The group headed to Flourish and Blotts to buy the books they needed. After that they headed to the Apothecary to get potions ingredients and the cauldrons they needed. Harry watched in morbid curiosity as the shop keeper scooped out the beetle eyes and rat tails.

"Please, Sirius! Can Ron and I go check out the racing brooms we'll be right back, promise!" Harry pleaded as they left the Apothecary. He and Ron were making their best puppy-dog eyes.

"If it's okay with Molly, then it's okay with me," Sirius replied amused at the boys' antics.

"Please, mum!" Ron asked his mother.

"Oh all right!" Molly relented. "I need to take you brothers over to Madam Malkin's anyway. Go on ahead and stay together! We'll meet you at The Leaky Cauldron in one hour!"

"Thank you!" the boys said together as they ran toward the Quidditch supply store.

"Wow!" Ron breathed as they stared at the new racing broom, The Nimbus 2000. "Can you imagine riding _that_ broom?"

"It's supposed to be the fastest in the whole world!" Harry replied as he nodded in agreement.

"Oh man, what I wouldn't give to have that broom, mate!"

"C'mon!" Harry said suddenly. "We're just teasing ourselves! Let's go look at the gear! I've been meaning to get a new broom keeping kit for my Cleansweep." With that the two boys ran off to look at all of the Quidditch gear.

Forty-five minutes later, Harry pointed out the time.

"C'mon! Let's head to the Leaky Cauldron! Your mum will go mental if we're late!"

The two boys ran off down the street. They were weaving through the crowd when Harry accidently bumped into a tall man with sleek blonde hair that was pulled back into a sophisticated ponytail. Harry fell on impact and landed in a graceless lump. Ron came up behind Harry and stopped short when he saw the man Harry had run into. The man turned to sneer at the boys.

"Don't you think you should be a little more careful?" the man spat at Harry. Then he turned his gaze to Ron. "A Weasley, no doubt! Don't you think it's rude not to keep your filth contained? Next time, watch where you're going!" With that, the man turned on his heals and stalked away.

"Who was that?" Harry asked as Ron helped him to his feet.

"Lucius Malfoy," Ron replied in contempt. "He works with dad at the Ministry. He used to be in line with a bunch of dark stuff back when You-Know-Who was around, according to dad. Dad reckons we should stay away from him."

"I reckon he's right," Harry answered, glaring after Malfoy. "C'mon! We're gonna be late!"

"There you are!" Molly exclaimed with her hands on her hips, as the boys entered the Leaky Cauldron.

"Sorry, Mrs. Weasley," Harry explained, turning his sincere, heart-melting, emerald eyes toward the witch. "We ran into Mr. Malfoy on the way here. Please don't be cross."

"Oh it's okay, sweetheart!" Mrs. Weasley gushed, as her anger deflated at the boy's plea. "I'm not cross! I was just worried about you two!" She pulled the two into a tight hug and Harry gave Ron and inconspicuous wink, making the redhead smirk back.

Harry caught Sirius' eye and the man gave Harry a knowing look that clearly said that they were going to have to talk later. Harry sat at the table next to Sirius while Tom took their order. They all chatted happily through the meal and when lunch was over, Molly announced that it was time for her lot to head home. Ron and Harry said their goodbyes, with Ron promising to be at Harry's birthday celebration in two week's time.

"All right!" Sirius said after all of the Weasley's had left and the two of them headed toward Madam Malkin's. "What on earth was that all about? What happened with you and Ron on your way back?"

"We really did run into Mr. Malfoy," Harry told his godfather. "I just know that Mrs. Weasley can shout. So, I thought I'd step in for Ron."

"You're going to be a heart-breaker one day, Pup," Sirius chuckled as he shook his head. "No joke!"

"I don't know…" Harry blushed.

They stepped into the shop and Madam Malkin greeted them wholeheartedly "Hogwarts, I presume?"

"Yep," Sirius responded brightly, placing an arm around Harry's shoulder. The pride in his voice made Harry swell with happiness.

"C'mon back, dear. I've got all the material right here!" She chirped at Harry, who followed her to a stool next to another boy about Harry's age.

"You going to Hogwarts too?" the blonde boy quipped with a haughty air.

"Yes, you?" Harry returned, trying to remain polite.

"Oh yes. This will be my first year."

"Me as well."

"Do you know what house you'll be in?"

"No one knows what house they'll be in," Harry replied, confused.

"Well, not officially, no," the boy responded. "But I just _know_ I'll be in Slytherin! That's my first pick, but anything's better than Hufflepuff, don't you agree? I think I'd go home."

"I think I'd like to be in whichever house will take me," Harry answered. "I'd think that not going to Hogwarts at all would be worse than being in Hufflepuff. I heard that they're nice and they're supposed to be really loyal."

"Well Slytherin's are clever and cunning! And with that they don't need to be _nice _or _loyal_. That's all me!" the boy bragged. Sirius made an odd sound in the back of his throat, which caught the blonde's attention.

"Is that your father?" the boy indicated to Sirius.

"He's my godfather. But for all intents and purposes, yes."

"Where are your parents?"

"They died when I was little. Why?" Harry replied, irritated by the boy's tone. He was reminding him very much of Mr. Malfoy and Harry was beginning to wonder if they were related.

"Oh, sorry. They were like us though, right?"

Harry didn't think he sounded the least bit sorry. "They were a witch and wizard if that's what you're asking."

"Hmm…Well I'm a Pureblood, myself. It's a shame that they even let the other sort in, don't you think?" the boy sneered.

"What do you mean by _other _sort?" However, Harry had a pretty good idea what the boy was insinuating.

"You know, Mudbloods."

"Young man!" Madam Malkin squeaked. "I will not have that kind of language in my shop!"

"Sorry," the boy returned. Again he sounded a far cry from sorry. "It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't!" She stalked off to the back to get more fabric.

"And for your information," Harry shot at the boy, eyes narrowing. "My _mother_ was muggle-born. So I'd appreciate it if you could keep your opinions to yourself."

"Fine," the snobbish boy answered. The rest of the boy's visit passed in heated silence, until Malkin announced that he was finished. "Well, see you around," he sneered and stalked out of the shop.

"You're all set too, dearie," Madam Malkin said to Harry sweetly.

"Thank you," Harry said as he hopped off the stool. Sirius paid for his robes and the two of them headed out of the shop.

"You okay, kiddo?" Sirius asked.

"Did you hear him?" Harry exclaimed incredulously. "'Well, I just know I'll be in Slytherin! I'm a _Pureblood_!' Ugh! I mean honestly! What an arrogant snob!"

"I agree wholeheartedly. And I'm actually quite proud and impressed by the way you held your own back there. Unfortunately, there are many people out there that still think like that. All you can do is know what your morals are and stand by them proudly, okay."

"Okay," Harry replied. He loved making his godfather proud and the man never failed to let him know that he was. That was one of the many things, Harry loved about Sirius.

"Okay, let's go get a wand!" Sirius said with a smile. And the two of them headed off toward Ollivander's.

"Ah, Mr. Potter!"

Harry heard Mr. Ollivander before he saw him in the tiny, cluttered wand shop. The old man came around the corner and smiled at the boy. "I was beginning to wonder when I'd see you! And here with Mr. Black. I knew that wand wasn't capable for such betrayal, Mr. Black. That wand was built to protect, that's what I've always said."

"You remember the wand you sold me?" Sirius asked shocked.

"Oh yes. I remember every wand I've ever sold," Ollivander explained. "Holly, Gryffin Feather core. 7 inches. Powerful and protective. Good for charms and transfiguration as well as protective spells."

Sirius stared at the man in shock.

"I assume it was destroyed."

"Actually, no sir," Sirius replied. "I hid it away before I was sent to Azkaban. I thought for sure I would be found innocent so I wanted it safe for when I got out."

"I see," Ollivander replied, eyes twinkling. Sirius had to wonder if perhaps Ollivander and Dumbledore were related for that damned twinkle. "And you're here for you first wand, correct?" The old man asked Harry.

"Yes, sir," Harry answered nervously.

"All right, step up here." Tape measures flew toward Harry and began measuring every inch of him. Ollivander shooed the tape measures away as he brought forth the first box. "Dragon Heartstring. Ebony. 8 inches. Nice and powerful. Take it in your wand hand and give it a wave."

Harry did so and every glass substance in the room shattered. Eyes wide, Harry cautiously set the wand on the counter and backed away. And so this went on for wand after wand, until Harry was beginning to doubt that there was a wand for him.

"Hmm…. I wonder if… Well it's worth a shot." Ollivander disappeared to the back of the store and came forward with another box. "Phoenix Feather and Holly. Eleven inches. Nice and supple."

Harry took the wand and he instantly knew that this was his wand. His hand warmed at its touch and when he swished it about red and gold sparks danced around the room. He let out a sigh of relief as Sirius whooped. He finally found his wand!

"Very good! Yes! Bravo…. But curious… Very curious," Ollivander pondered.

"Sorry sir, but why is it curious?" Harry asked.

"Well you see, as I said before I remember every wand I have ever sold, Mr. Potter. _Every _wand. And this particular phoenix, whose tail feather is the core of your wand, gave another feather. Just _one_ other. And it is curious that you are destined for this wand because its brother… gave you that scar."

Harry gulped and looked over at Sirius who seemed to be just as uneasy as he was.

"Very curious, indeed. The wand chooses the wizard after all… Which mean we should expect great things from you, Harry Potter. After all, You-Know-Who did _great_ things! Horrible, nasty, _terrible _things, yes….. But great."

Harry shivered as Sirius paid for his wand and the two of them left the shop.

"He's a bit on freaky side, isn't he?" Harry confided with his godfather.

Sirius barked in laughter. "I've always thought so too, kiddo! I've always thought so too. Where to next? We've got everything on your list. We could go over to Eeylops Owl Emporium and check out the owls and cats and such! What do you say?"

"Yeah, okay!" Harry agreed. They headed over to the shop and Harry found himself longing for the Snowy White owl in the front of the store, but he didn't say anything. Sirius was already getting him enough stuff and his birthday was coming up. He could do without that owl, even if she was beautiful.

After the owlery Sirius and Harry grabbed some ice cream from Florean Fortesque and headed home. Harry had to admit it had been a good day, worthy of a pancake breakfast.

A/N: Again I'm very sorry for the wait! At least it's a long chapter right? Anyway, let me know what you think and please forgive any errors. This is un-betaed. I try to be as grammatically correct as possible and I hate having too many spelling errors, so hopefully it is okay! Thank you guys so much for reading and please feel free to review!


	11. The Storm and Hedwig

DISCLAIMER: All recognizable plots and characters belong to J.K. Rowling!

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm back! Thank you so much for all of the wonderful reviews! I tried to respond to all of them. If I missed one I will respond to it this time!

Chapter 11: The Storm and Hedwig

Two weeks went by extremely quickly for Harry and before he knew it, it was July 31st and he was bouncing in his chair in excitement for the party that was going to happen later that day. He was gulping down his pancakes as fast as he could without getting scolded by his godfather. He was so eager to have his friends over and have cake and ice cream. Then he, Ron, and Neville could out and play two-a-side Quidditch with Sirius.

"You know, you gulping down those pancakes doesn't make your friends arrive any sooner," Sirius commented, his silver eyes dancing in amusement.

"I know but at least I can get my Quidditch stuff ready," Harry pointed out.

"I suppose, but then what will you do?" Sirius asked, chuckling. "It's only nine o'clock. You can only get your Quidditch stuff ready for so long and your friends don't arrive until noon."

Harry thought about it for a moment before shrugging. "Maybe I'm not eating the pancakes fast 'cause I want to hurry time. Maybe it's 'cause I just like your pancakes and they're just so delicious that I can't get enough of them fast enough," he challenged.

"Yeah, okay, pup! I believe you about as far as I can throw you!" Sirius barked out a laugh.

"What! Are you calling me fat?" Harry gasped in mock hurt.

"Oh, please! You're anything but that!" Sirius chuckled. "Anyway, I asked you what you were planning on doing for two reasons. One: I wanted to tease you! And two: I was wondering if you were interested in opening one of your present before your guests get here."

"Yeah!"

"Okay," Sirius replied. "I'll go get it, while you finish your milk."

Harry watched his godfather disappear up the stairs and he gulped down his milk. It was days like his birthday that Harry remembered how lucky he was that he had Sirius. The man had saved him in more ways than he could count.

_Five-year-old Harry was at the lunch table with Sirius as the man was trying desperately to get the child to eat his vegetables._

_ "No!" Harry shouted at his godfather._

_ "Harry, come on! You need to eat at least three bites of your green beans before you can go play," Sirius instructed, sternly._

_ "No!" It was becoming Harry's favorite word now that he wasn't afraid of being beaten for it. "I don't want green beans!"_

_ "Well, I asked you earlier if you wanted corn or green beans and you said you wanted green beans. So, that's what I made."_

_ "I don't _want_ green beans!"Harry insisted._

_ "Well that's what we're having," Sirius answered, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. "And you are not leaving the table until you have at least three bites."_

_ "No!" And with that Harry grabbed a handful of green beans and threw them across the room._

_ "Harry James!" Sirius cried. "What on earth has gotten into you?"_

_ Harry glared up at his godfather and shoved his plate onto the floor. "I don't want green beans!"_

_ "Harry James Potter, I am going to give to the count of three to pick up your plate and clean up your mess."_

_ "No!"_

_ "One."_

_ Harry stuck out his tongue._

_ "Two."_

_ Harry stood up on his chair and began screaming at the top of his lungs "NO! NO! NO!"_

_ "Three." Sirius grabbed Harry off of the chair and started to bring him to the corner to serve time-out, when Harry's teeth made contact with his arm, as the youngster bit him. "OW!" He dropped the boy to his feet, who scowled up at him in defiance and Sirius did something he had never done before. He grabbed Harry's upper arm and landed a swift swat to the boy's backside and then brought him over to the corner and sat him down on the time-out stool. "You do not throw food. You do not shout. You do not stand on the furniture. And you most definitely do NOT bite people. Do you understand? You are going to stay in the corner for five minutes and then, if you can behave respectfully you may come back to the table."_

_ Harry sat in shock for a few minutes after his godfather left the room, before he began to cry. Sirius was really cross. The man would want to get rid of him. And if he couldn't get rid of him, then he would just make sure that Harry was beaten for being the freak he was. His uncle had been right. He was ungrateful. After everything Sirius had done for him, Harry had bitten him. Over something as silly as green beans, Harry was going to lose his family. The tears poured down his face. The swat hadn't even hurt, but the disappointment in Sirius' eyes had stung his soul. He really messed up. He went too far. Well, if Sirius was going to get rid of him Harry decided, it would be easier for both of them if he just went ahead and left. He could live in the trees behind the house. And with that Harry ran out the back door_

_ In the sitting room, Sirius was pacing while he cooled down. The psychologist Sirius had been bringing Harry to had suggested time-out as a punishment for exactly this reason. It allowed both of them to calm down and it allowed Sirius to think rationally. As the anger began recede, Sirius realized what he had done. He spanked Harry! He spanked him! He had _spanked_ Harry! What had he been thinking? He knew the boy had been abused why would he used physical punishment? Then again, the boy had been unruly. Sirius had been desperate to get the child's attention, but still. The man sat down on the couch and dragged his hands over his face in exhaustion. "James, I don't know what I'm doing," he whispered. Suddenly, he heard the back door open and slam shut. "Harry?" Sirius called._

_ Sirius rushed back into the kitchen and looked toward the corner where he had left Harry. It was empty. "Shit!" he cursed. He opened the back door just in time to see Harry disappear through the trees. "HARRY!" Panic set in as he chased after his five-year-old. If the boy ran too far he would break through the wards and Sirius would be powerless to protect him. He ran as fast as he could and yelled all the while for his godson. The worry ate at his heart and Sirius grew desperate._

_ Harry heard Sirius calling for him and Harry climbed up into a tree and watched as the man ran past him, calling out to him. Harry didn't make a sound and stayed well hidden. Sirius was going to send him away and if Harry couldn't live with Sirius then he wouldn't live with anyone. He would live in the trees. He made up all the plans in his head he would gather sticks together and make a hut out of them. He would go to the spring nearby for water and he would teach himself to hunt with rocks and stones. With those thoughts in his head he drifted to sleep in the tree._

_ Sirius looked for his godson for hours and had found no trace of him. He headed back to the house and flooed Remus for help and together the friends headed back out. Sirius looked up at the sky and his heart sank as he saw the rolling, grey storm clouds. Tears pricked at his eyes as he looked at Remus desperately. "We _have_ to find him, Remus! He's terrified of storms! He'll be scared stiff! What are we going to do?"_

_ "Sirius!" Remus cried. "Calm down! Pull yourself together! We are going to find him!"_

_ "You're right!" Sirius agreed, taking a deep breath. "We'll find him! We'll find him!" And with that the two friends headed off to find their missing child._

_ When Harry awoke it was dark. He sat up quickly and suddenly he realized why this wasn't such a good idea. He was afraid of the dark. It made him think of the times that his uncle had locked him into the cupboard under the stairs. The darkness seemed to close in on him. Then suddenly lightening flashed in the sky and thunder boomed. Harry's scream caught in his throat and he began to sob in fear. 'Sirius, please come find me!' he begged desperately in his mind. The rain started to come down and soon Harry was trembling in cold as well as fear. And when the next lightning and thunder hit he found his voice and he screamed._

_ Sirius was soaked to the bone as he held his lantern and searched. Remus had rushed back to the house to floo-call some more people to help. Then, he heard it. In the distance he heard his godson calling out to him. "Sirius!" He ran toward the voice. It got louder and louder until he knew he was right on top of it. But Harry was nowhere to be seen. "Harry! Where are you?" he called out, turning all about. He could hear his child's sobs and it broke his heart. "I can't see you, Pup! Where are you?"_

_ "U-up h-here," a small, terrified voice said from above him. He looked up to find his little godson curled up in a tree, sobbing._

_ "Harry!" Sirius cried, relief flooding his body as he saw that his godson was okay. "Come down, kiddo!"_

_ "I-I c-can't!" the little boy wailed._

_ "Why not?"_

_ "I'm s-scared!"_

_ "Just jump down, Har-bear," Sirius replied. "I'll catch you, I promise!"_

_ "O-okay," Harry said shakily and he slid from the tree branch and landed safely in his godfather's strong arms._

_ Sirius sank to the ground with his godson in his arms and hugged the boy close and sobbed. Gods! How good it felt to have the boy in his arms again. They stayed like that for a moment before Sirius took a calming breath and stood up and walked them back to the house, meeting the rest of the rescue crew along the way. He assured them that Harry was fine; he was just scared and cold. He thanked them for their help and half-hugged Remus and told him that he would floo-call him later._

_ After everyone left, he noticed that Harry was muttering something into his chest. He listened close and finally made out the words. "Please don't send me away. Please don't leave me. I'll be good! I promise. Please don't send me away!"_

_ He sat down on the couch and wrapped the throw-blanket around his godson. "No one is sending you away Harry. Why would you think that?"_

_ "I'm an ungrateful freak," Harry responded, like he had so many times before._

_ "No you're not, Harry," Sirius told him. "We've been through this. You are not a freak and you are certainly not ungrateful. Why would you say that?"_

_ "You're so nice to me," Harry sniffed. "And I s-screamed at you and t-threw s-stuff and b-bit you. Now you're m-mad and you're n-not g-gonna l-love me anymore and you're g-gonna b-beat me and s-send me away, I-I just know i-it." He dissolved into tears._

_ "Oh, Harry," Sirius sighed, as he cuddled his godson close to him. "What you did this afternoon was not okay, Harry. And I was very angry with you, but just because I'm angry doesn't mean I don't love you anymore. I always love you, Harry, even when I'm mad at you. And no one, NO ONE will ever send you away from me. And I will never, ever beat you. Do you understand? I love you, Puppy."_

_ "I-I love you, too, Siri," Harry sniffled._

_ "You worried me so much today, Harry!" Sirius told the boy. "Why would you run off like that? Do you know how scared I was when I couldn't find you? What if I couldn't get you tonight? What if I never found you? Do you know how I would have felt, Pup?"_

_ "Sad?"_

_ "Horribly, horribly sad! And worried and scared!" Sirius informed him._

_ "You would be scared?" Harry asked. "But you're never scared of anything!"_

_ "I assure you, Harry, that I can get scared," Sirius explained. "In fact, today I was terrified."_

_ "You were?" Harry said shocked._

_ "Oh yes," Sirius told him. "I was afraid that I would lose you, Prongslet."_

_ "I was scared too, Siri," Harry confided. "It was dark and cold and I thought I was never gonna see you again! A-A-Achoo!"_

_ "Yep," Sirius said with a sigh. "I knew it. You've caught a cold. Alright, c'mon, kiddo, let's go upstairs and get you into some warm, dry clothes and get you to bed. We can talk about this more in the morning, okay?" And with that, Sirius took Harry's hand and led him up the stairs and got him ready for bed._

Sirius walked back into kitchen holding a large, awkwardly wrapped birthday present. He set the present on the table in front of his godson. He noticed the distant look in the boy's eyes as he looked up at Sirius. The eleven-year-old stood up suddenly and walked over to him and wrapped his arms around Sirius' waist. Sirius' eyes widened as he looked at his normally shy, private godson. He hugged the boy back. "What brought this on?" Sirius asked, bewildered.

"Sometimes, I forget how lucky I am that I have you," Harry told him, honestly. "I love you, Siri."

Sirius smiled at the endearment Harry had used when he was little. "I love you too, Puppy." He pulled back and smiled at Harry. "Now open up the present! I just wrapped it and it can't stay wrapped long!"

"Okay," Harry replied, thoroughly confused. He untied the ribbon at the top and pulled the paper down to reveal the beautiful snowy owl he had seen at the Owl Emporium a couple of weeks ago.

"I saw you staring at her at the Emporium," Sirius explained. "I thought she would come in handy while you're at Hogwarts."

"Thank you so much, Sirius!" Harry said in awe. "She's beautiful!" He slipped his fingers in between the bars of the cage and stroked her soft feathers. She nipped his fingers affectionately.

"You're welcome," Sirius responded. "Now, what are you going to name her?"

"Hmm… I read a name in one of my Hogwarts books a couple days ago," Harry told him after thinking for a moment. "It was Hedwig."

"That's a nice name."

"I think so too," Harry stared at his new pet. "What do you think, girl? Is Hedwig okay with you?" The beautiful owl blinked her large amber eyes and hooted softly at her new master.

"Hedwig it is then," Sirius declared.

"May I let her out with Tory?" Harry asked.

"Sure," Sirius replied. "You'll probably need to feed her too."

"Okay," Harry unlatched the cage and let Hedwig out. The snowy owl swooped through the room and landed on a perch near Tory. The two of them stared reproachfully at each other before ruffling up their feathers importantly and placing their beaks under their wings and drifting to sleep. Harry fed the owls in the basin by the pantry. He looked up at Hedwig and he would have been willing to bet that she was the most beautiful owl in the whole world.

"Thank you, Sirius," Harry said, hugging his godfather again.

A/N: Okay I know it's not as long as the last chapter but it seemed like a good stopping place… And at least I updated quickly right? Please feel free to review! Thanks for reading!


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